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Franchise: Kirby

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When Donkey Kong became popular, Nintendo was sued by Universal. Universal claimed Donkey Kong was a rip-off of King Kong. Lawyer John Kirby proved that Universal didn't even have trademark rights to "King Kong", and so they lost the case. Nintendo gave Kirby a boat named Donkey Kong and exclusive rights to the name Donkey Kong for sail-boats as a strange way of thanking him.

in a 2011 interview with Game Informer, Shigeru Miyamoto stated that "Kirby" was one of many candidates on a list of names that were proposed for the characters, and upon seeing it, he recalled John Kirby and felt that a connection between the two would be amusing. However, the name was picked not as a tribute to the lawyer, but rather because the harsh-sounding nature of the name was a comedic contrast to the character's soft, cute design.

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Original DidYouKnowGaming blog post:
http://didyouknowgaming.com/post/32069456462/donkey-kong

2011 Game Informer interview:
https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/06/17/miyamoto-wii-amp-wii-u-are-colored-white-for-all-ages-appeal.aspx

Franchise: Mario

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Shigeru Miyamoto wanted Mario to have a dinosaur companion ever since Super Mario Bros. but it wasn't thought possible at the time due to the limitations of the NES. He wanted to implement Yoshi in Super Mario Bros. 3 but again could not. Two power-ups were created to fill the gap - raccoon and frog Mario. Co-worker Takashi Tezuka once speculated that Miyamoto's love of horse riding had influenced Yoshi's creation.

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Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)

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In issue 260 of Nintendo Power, Yuji Naka revealed that the initial concept for Sonic the Hedgehog's gameplay came from playing level 1-1 of Super Mario Bros. over and over again as fast as he could, since you always had to play the level first regardless of whether you used warp zones or not.
"I always tried to get through the level as fast as I could. And that inspired the initial concept for Sonic the Hedgehog."

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Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (2002)

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You can find a giant skull with several holes in it, used as a ramp. This is a reference to the mini-boss "Crocomire" from Super Metroid. It's thought to be a way of paying tribute to the Metroid series, as Super Metroid heavily influenced the Castlevania franchise.

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The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993)

subdirectory_arrow_right The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX (Game)

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When Link sprinkles Magic Powder or uses a Mystery Seed on a Buzz Blob, it will transform into an enemy called a Cukeman who Link can talk to and hear several short phrases. Each localization of the game features completely unique Cukemen phrases, often making vague references to real-life people or things.

In the Japanese release, the Cukeman's dialogue string is a series of catchphrases that ends with "…That concludes this collection of R-Moto-isms. It has absolutely nothing to do with the game!"
"R-Moto" is most likely a nickname for the game's character designer Masanao Arimoto, suggesting that the Cukeman's dialogue originally consisted of phrases he commonly used during development.

In the English release, this dialogue is changed, causing the Cukeman to say nonsensical phrases like the stereotypical Jamaican greeting "Hey Mon!", as well as "It can display millions of polygons!" immediately followed by "I definitely need it, as soon as possible!".
These last two lines are most likely a reference to the Nintendo 64 which was in early development stages at the time of the game's release.

In the original German release, the Cukemen will say more suggestive or vulgar phrases courtesy of Nintendo of Europe localization translator Claude Moyse. Two of the phrases include "Gib Mir Deinen Saft, Ich Geb'Dir Meinen" which translated from German to English means "Give me your juice, I'll give you mine.", as well as "Nie Ohne Kondom!" which translates to "Not without a condom!"
The "Gib Mir Deinen Saft, Ich Geb'Dir Meinen" line is most likely a direct reference to the 1992 song "Saft" by German hip-hop group Die Fantastischen Vier, of which that line is its hook, and peaked at #19 on the German singles chart the year prior to Link's Awakening's release. Because the song openly promotes the sexual exchange of bodily fluids, the "Nie Ohne Kondom!" line was presumably added by Moyse to jokingly riff off it while promoting safe sex to older players.
The Link's Awakening DX release in Germany removed these references and phrases and instead changed them to in-game hints.

In the French release, the dialogue is changed once again to more nonsensical phrases before ending the dialogue string with "Lots of kisses from Kyoto! VERO". This last line features the name "VERO" and a unique heart sprite tacked on at the end as a signature, most likely from the localizer of this dialogue.

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The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_Link%27s_Awakening_(Game_Boy)/Version_Differences#Cukeman_Dialogue

Original DidYouKnowGaming post:
http://didyouknowgaming.com/post/26291135666/links-awakening

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)

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When starting development on Ocarina of Time, Nintendo weren't sure how large of a game they'd be able to make with the Nintendo 64's memory restrictions. Miyamoto even considered structuring the game in a similar fashion to Super Mario 64, with Ganon's castle being the hub. The Forest Temple with Ganon's doppelganger jumping in and out of paintings was an idea carried over from that period of development.

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Secret of Evermore

Secret of Evermore (1995)

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It is widely considered that the lead hero is a reference to Marty McFly from the Back to the Future series. Both characters travel through time, use the term "heavy" and wear an orange life preserver. The lead hero also has a strong interest in movies, so this is possibly a development of that characteristic.

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Final Fantasy X

Final Fantasy X (2001)

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Character designer Tetsuya Nomura has said that the South Pacific, Thailand and Japan are major influences on the culture and geographical design of Spira, particularly in the case of the southern islands of Besaid and Kilika.

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Collection: No More Heroes

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Travis Touchdown is heavily influenced by Johnny Knoxville of Jackass fame. The game's director, Goichi Suda, would often show his team a clip from Jackass where a baby alligator bites Knoxville's nipple, claiming "I wanted my staff to understand the kind of person that Travis is."

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person Dazz calendar_month March 7, 2013

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Star Wars: The Old Republic

Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011)

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During development, the writers were considering the idea of a Killik companion, however they thought it would not fit with the story. Ultimately the idea was dismissed, but it inspired the Imperial Agent class companion Vector Hyllus, a human Killik Joiner.

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Franchise: Pokémon

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Pokemon was originally called "Capsule Monsters" but was renamed as the creators had trouble trademarking the name. They also tried to trademark "Capumon" and then "Pocked Monsters". Capsule Monsters was put on hold so Game Freak could develop Yoshi for the NES and Game Boy. The success of Yoshi helped Game Freak acquire the resources they needed to continue work on Pokemon, and could even be the reason we have Pokemon today. The name "Capsule Monsters" is inspired by Japanese gashapon machines. It appears PokeMarts were supposed to sell the capsules, as indicated by this concept art.

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person DidYouKnowGaming calendar_month March 3, 2013

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Borderlands 2

Borderlands 2 (2012)

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In Borderlands 2, There's a character named Michael Mamaril that will give the player free (and usually rare) loot. This character is based on a real-life person who died at the age of 22. His friend wrote to Gearbox, the game's developers, asking them to do a eulogy using the voice of the fan-favorite character "Claptrap". Gearbox not only fulfilled his request, but also added Michael as a character in Borderlands 2, so he could live on forever in Borderlands.

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Super Mario Bros. 3

Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)

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The Koopalings were based on seven of the game's developers. They were all later named after musicians by the American localization team, as no distinct names were given in the Japanese version. It's also speculated the musical names were chosen because their scepters resemble microphones.

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Franchise: The Legend of Zelda

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In an interview between Shigeru Miyamoto and "Gamekult", Miyamoto states that he loves Disney, and their interpretation of Peter Pan inspired Link's design. This inspiration could also be why the Kokiri never age.

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Franchise: Mario

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Shigeru Miyamoto had originally intended for Bowser to be an ox, and based him on the main antagonist from the animation "Alakazam The Great". This is likely why his modern design has horns and a defined muzzle, despite him being a turtle.

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person DidYouKnowGaming calendar_month March 1, 2013

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EarthBound

EarthBound (1994)

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The main antagonist of EarthBound, an alien known as "Giygas", was made by Shigesato Itoi and described as "a living being that deserves love." While the character first debuted with a different design as the final boss of Mother, Giygas' appearance in EarthBound was inspired by a childhood incident where Itoi accidentally walked into the wrong movie at a theatre and watched the 1957 Japanese horror film "Kenpei to Barabara Shibijin". Itoi was traumatized by the film, where he confused a lovemaking scene that ends in murder as a rape scene. He says it had a "sense of terror having atrocity and eroticism side-by-side, and that's what Giygas's lines at the end are":

Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness, Ness Ness, Ness...
I...feel..g..o..o..d...
It hurts... It hurts...
I'm so sad, Ness...
Friends...
You cannot grasp the true form of Giygas' attack!
Go b..a..c..k
I am...H...a...p...p...y...
It's not right, not right...
Ness!

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April 18, 2003 interview with Shigesato Itoi:
http://www.1101.com/MOTHER/03.html

April 24, 2003 interview with Shigesato Itoi:
http://www.1101.com/MOTHER/07.html

DidYouKnowGaming blog post:
http://didyouknowgaming.com/post/35853816334/earthbound-mother-2

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006)

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The 7th dungeon of Twilight Princess, "City in the Sky", is speculated to be based on a painting called "Another World" by M.C. Escher. The creatures, seen on the walls in the painting resemble the Oocca from the game. In the Twilight Princess dungeon, the Oocca are found running on the walls and floor.

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Company: Sony Computer Entertainment

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SEGA was the second company (after Nintendo) to be in negotiation with Sony to make a new console, but the idea was eventually rejected by SEGA. It was confirmed by Tom Kalinske (an employee of SEGA) that the console specs SEGA had proposed were used for the PlayStation. It was also the technical achievements of SEGA's "Virtua Fighter" that made Sony focus on 3D rather than 2D. SEGA essentially sealed their own fate in the console market by rejecting the plans and inspiring Sony to focus on 3D.

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Company: Sega

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SEGA was the second company (after Nintendo) to be in negotiation with Sony to make a new console, but the idea was eventually rejected by SEGA. It was confirmed by Tom Kalinske (an employee of SEGA) that the console specs SEGA had proposed were used for the PlayStation. It was also the technical achievements of SEGA's "Virtua Fighter" that made Sony focus on 3D rather than 2D. SEGA essentially sealed their own fate in the console market by rejecting the plans and inspiring Sony to focus on 3D.

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Franchise: Pokémon

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There's an old Japanese idiom that says, "A duck comes along carrying a leek". It means a happy convenience, as duck with leek is a popular meal. The Pokemon Farfetch'd is based on this saying. The anime also states they are rare due to them being delicious. It seems that Farfetch'd were designed to be eaten from the very beginning. Any notion of them being used as food was later toned down or dropped. Along with the word "leek", which is now called a stick or a stalk.

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