Smashboards Creates: An Alternate Videogame Universe... And Its Smash Bros.

[Champion of Hyrule]

Job 16: El Muerto Fuego(Fiestaville)

El Muerto Fuego(Spanish for The Undead Fire) is a major character in the Fiestaville Series, a minigame collection made by Gamesoft in the early 2000s. He acted as the main host from Fiestaville(2001) to Fiestaville 4: Move it and Groove It(2008) then from Fiestaville 5: Worldwide(2012) onwards had other companions to host the minigames with him, Pinyahata(the former antagonist of Move it and Groove It), Loveland the Frog and Parasol(a living parasol ala Perry).

His games were very popular due to the fastpaced and fun nature of the minigames you had to play.

His moveset will be based on the types of minigames he introduces to the player

I nominate him to represent party games. Also I don't think we had a party game based fighter in Smash Bros so it'll be interesting to see where this goes

This is a good submission although it has to have released on the first Gamessoft System which would have been during the 80s

 

[Qwerty UIOP]

This is a good submission although it has to have released on the first Gamessoft System which would have been during the 80s

OK I'll edit it.

 

[DragonRobotKing26]

Job 16: Ninbit (Space Strike)

Ninbit is the protagonist from the video game series called Space Strike,who the first game was released on 1986,the series is a sci-fi universe where aliens invaded the earth on 2047,and the scientists created a Ninbit for stop the destruction.

Ninbit is a female ninja robot,she wears a long red scarf and have a long blue hair,her metal skin is red and black and her eyes are glowing yellow,Ninbit also wears a neon sword with blue blade.

Space Strike's first game is a platform game who is a mix of Metroid,Ninja Gaiden and Castlevania.

Ninbit is a most iconic female character of the video game history,Space Strike have an OVA released on 1993,comic series made by Marvel Comics and a cartoon who have just one season and was been cancelled.

Ninbit's moveset is she as swordsman fighter,the attacks for references are laser pistol from Space Strike,the ability Dashing Blade from Supreme Space Strike,the ability Neon Tornado also from Space Strike:One More Invasion and the galactic bombs from Space Strike 2:The Return of Ninbit

 

[KneeOfJustice99]

I don't think I've ever seen this thread before, but I may as well give it a shot!

Job #16: D.C.I. Eleanor Lennox (Metropolitan)
Given that Winstann the Gnome is ostensibly a fantasy-themed platformer series, I felt it'd be a good idea to go with a different vibe alltogether for a second series - allowing for a greater degree of uniqueness in what it is we represent. As such, I'm suggesting D.C.I. Eleanor Lennox, one of the main characters from the Metropolitan series.

The Metropolitan series is primarily a combined point-and-click/visual novel series in which you (playing as D.C.I. Eleanor Lennox) are tasked with leading a small team of police investigators in order to solve various crimes, typically with a focus on homicide. Unlike a number of games similar to it, the Metropolitan series has a deliberately slower pace, intended to simulate a somewhat realistic interpretation of what the actual process of investigating as part of a police force is like, whilst also adding a degree of creative license so as to provide interest and excitement within its narratives.

The first game, Metropolitan (1981), was designed as a showcase for the Gamessoft System's ability to showcase detailed photographs as backgrounds as well as text and a pixellated heads-up display, with interactions with other characters, scenes, evidence and other such things all being shown in detail as a result (with live-action, technically!) Whilst somewhat primitive compared to later games in the series, it would introduce a number of the series' most prominent hallmarks - such as the element of team management on top of investigational skills, or the encouragement for you to actually think your way through problems as opposed to simply using trial and error.

In the first game, you play as D.C.I. Eleanor Lennox, a well-respected high-ranking member of the police, investigating the mysterious murder of a Jane Doe (later discovered to be one Josephine Simcox) in the Thamesmead Estate - during which you will need to investigate the crime scene, question various suspects, and eventually detain the culprit. D.C.I. Eleanor Lennox would continue to be the central character in much of the mainline series, and would feature in a number of settings - both in different locations around London, in different areas of the United Kingdom such as Oxford and Edinburgh, and even internationally in Paris and Venice. She would also feature as a side-character in a number of spinoff titles.

An interesting piece of trivia about the Metropolitan series is that a lot of the Gamessoft developers are reoccuring characters within it, usually as actors playing different roles due to the use of live-action photographs (even when the series transitioned to purely digital, a lot of the characters designs would continue to feature Gamessoft developers.) Interestingly, the decision to have the Thamesmead Estate as the setting for the first game was partially inspired by Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film A Clockwork Orange, though none of the employees of Gamessoft actually lived there at the time. The original inspiration for the game's genre came from various 70s and early 80s British crime drama television shows, though the writers felt it'd be better suited to go for a more realistic interpretation of police work so as to differentiate the Metropolitan series from various other pieces of media at the time.

The series has also had a number of spin-offs over the years, such as Metropolitan: Specialists (a late-90s arcade lightgun shooter) and Metropolitan: Blackout (a mid-00s spinoff set during the Second World War in 1941.)

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

I don't think I've ever seen this thread before, but I may as well give it a shot!

Job #16: D.C.I. Eleanor Lennox (Metropolitan)
Given that Winstann the Gnome is ostensibly a fantasy-themed platformer series, I felt it'd be a good idea to go with a different vibe alltogether for a second series - allowing for a greater degree of uniqueness in what it is we represent. As such, I'm suggesting D.C.I. Eleanor Lennox, one of the main characters from the Metropolitan series.

View attachment 374980

The Metropolitan series is primarily a combined point-and-click/visual novel series in which you (playing as D.C.I. Eleanor Lennox) are tasked with leading a small team of police investigators in order to solve various crimes, typically with a focus on homicide. Unlike a number of games similar to it, the Metropolitan series has a deliberately slower pace, intended to simulate a somewhat realistic interpretation of what the actual process of investigating as part of a police force is like, whilst also adding a degree of creative license so as to provide interest and excitement within its narratives.

The first game, Metropolitan (1981), was designed as a showcase for the Gamessoft System's ability to showcase detailed photographs as backgrounds as well as text and a pixellated heads-up display, with interactions with other characters, scenes, evidence and other such things all being shown in detail as a result (with live-action, technically!) Whilst somewhat primitive compared to later games in the series, it would introduce a number of the series' most prominent hallmarks - such as the element of team management on top of investigational skills, or the encouragement for you to actually think your way through problems as opposed to simply using trial and error.

In the first game, you play as D.C.I. Eleanor Lennox, a well-respected high-ranking member of the police, investigating the mysterious murder of a Jane Doe (later discovered to be one Josephine Simcox) in the Thamesmead Estate - during which you will need to investigate the crime scene, question various suspects, and eventually detain the culprit. D.C.I. Eleanor Lennox would continue to be the central character in much of the mainline series, and would feature in a number of settings - both in different locations around London, in different areas of the United Kingdom such as Oxford and Edinburgh, and even internationally in Paris and Venice. She would also feature as a side-character in a number of spinoff titles.

An interesting piece of trivia about the Metropolitan series is that a lot of the Gamessoft developers are reoccuring characters within it, usually as actors playing different roles due to the use of live-action photographs (even when the series transitioned to purely digital, a lot of the characters designs would continue to feature Gamessoft developers.) Interestingly, the decision to have the Thamesmead Estate as the setting for the first game was partially inspired by Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film A Clockwork Orange, though none of the employees of Gamessoft actually lived there at the time. The original inspiration for the game's genre came from various 70s and early 80s British crime drama television shows, though the writers felt it'd be better suited to go for a more realistic interpretation of police work so as to differentiate the Metropolitan series from various other pieces of media at the time.

The series has also had a number of spin-offs over the years, such as Metropolitan: Specialists (a late-90s arcade lightgun shooter) and Metropolitan: Blackout (a mid-00s spinoff set during the Second World War in 1941.)

It’s worth noting that there might be a bit of an overlap with the character of Detective Reid and his series, although from what I can see it there’s still is a lot of differences. If you’re fine with it maybe could you describe a bit what the differences in their legacy and gameplay would be?

 

[KneeOfJustice99]

It’s worth noting that there might be a bit of an overlap with the character of Detective Reid and his series, although from what I can see it there’s still is a lot of differences. If you’re fine with it maybe could you describe a bit what the differences in their legacy and gameplay would be?

Sure thing!

Firstly, the gameplay of the mainline Metropolitan series isn't focused on riddles and mysteries - rather, pretty specifically on procedural police work. I'd say the best comparison to it would probably be something like Ace Attorney or Famicom Detective Club - but with a focus on the process of gathering evidence, interviewing and questioning witnesses and suspects, and actively investigating leads in order to build a case, all whilst working closely with your team, who can help you along the way. Not only this, but Metropolitan (1981) isn't randomly generated, having a pre-set narrative which branches based on your decisions. It also differs in its overall presentation and vibe due to a variety of reasons, such as differences in gameplay, setting, characters, and so forth, with a lot of the worldbuilding being based pretty directly on London's actual culture.

In terms of legacy, the Metropolitan series has continued to evolve beyond the original gameplay in a variety of ways. The mainline series is obviously capable of having a significantly larger scale narrative (perhaps inspired by elements from games like L.A. Noire) in later console generations, and there's also a number of gameplay changes you could introduce over time - for instance, evolving the more modern games in the series to have an open world could work quite well. That said, a maintained focus on the series' generally slower pace would work best.

The nature of the series' setting and concept also lends well to spin-offs as I suggested - ideas springing to mind could include:

• Metropolitan: Blackout, a spin-off set in 1941, during the Second World War. Perhaps elements of foreign espionage could be included in the narrative of a game like this - and it'd lend to a unique experience, too!
• Metropolitan: Specialists, which could perhaps have similarities to Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare albeit with a more focused police-based setting. Focusing on a specialist team who can handle things like terrorist threats, home invasions, or hostage situations, could lend well to a unique take on the FPS genre.
• Metropolitan: Macabre, which could have similar urban fantasy elements to the Shin Megami Tensei series whilst being inspired by some of London's own urban mythology.

Also, in terms of character - I can imagine her personality being quite different to that of Detective Reid - comparable to that of characters like D.C.I. Vera Stanhope or perhaps Miss Marple, with a deliberately gentler and more understanding character given that one of the focuses of the series is interacting with potential witnesses or suspects. Even mechanically, she can have substantial differences - I can imagine a lot of elements of Reid's moveset and overall design would be pulled from various interpretations of private investigators, whereas D.C.I Lennox would likely have a more traditional police-based moveset including elements like standard issue police equipment such as a baton or a taser, for example.

If you feel that they're a little too close for comfort, though - I can totally go with something different. It's not a problem in the slightest!

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

If you feel that they're a little too close for comfort, though - I can totally go with something different. It's not a problem in the slightest!

Honestly I like the fact that they’re a bit similar it sort of fleshes out this era of video games by having a genre that’s more focused on and I imagine the Among Us series (yes that’s what I have to call it) would have probably been inspiration for this series

 

[LoZ00]

Job #15: Mr. Tinker's Moveset

Spoiler: Moveset

• Neutral Special - Dream Gun 101: Based on the main gameplay of The Talented Mr. Tinker, the Dream Gun 101 is the weapon the player uses to protect Mr. Tinker from incoming threats while he's sleeping. True to the gameplay of The Talented Mr. Tinker, Mr. Tinker himself doesn't wield the gun. Instead, while performing this attack, a reticle will appear over Mr. Tinker and it will travel forward. By holding the special attack button, the player can let the reticle move farther from Mr. Tinker (who points forward while performing this attack) and, by moving the analog stick up or down, it's possible to change the direction of the reticle (similarly to Zelda's Din's Fire). By releasing the special attack button, a bubbly bullet (similar to the ones appearing in The Talented Mr. Tinker) is shot where the reticle is. Uniquely, by lightly pressing the special attack button, it's possible to shoot to Mr. Tinker himself: this lets Mr. Tinker jump quite high, but he takes some small damage.
• Side Special - Ultra-Hand: Based on the second invention that Mr. Tinker creates in The Talented Mr. Tinker and the secondary gadget (after the Dream Gun 101) used in the sequel The Talented Mr. Tinker 2, the Ultra-Hand is a retractible arm that ends in a glove, used to grab distant objects. In Smash, the Ultra-Hand can be used as a sort of distant-reaching command grab. Uniquely, Mr. Tinker can grab items using the Ultra-Hand and he'll be able to use them. If used in midair or against a midair opponent, the Ultra-Hand will simply push the target away. It can also be used as a sort of tether recovery too.
• Up Special - Puff-Pack: This gadget is introduced in The Talented Mr. Tinker as a jet-pack (that emits pink, fragrant smoke) used by Flying Zombies, an enemy somewhat common in later stages. The Puff-Pack is Mr. Tinker's last invention in that game and makes an important appearance in the spin-off title The Talented Lady Tinker, where Lady Tinker, Mr. Tinker's daughter, uses it to save her father by the evil Mr. Needlemouse. In Smash, the Puff-Pack gives Mr. Tinker a small boost upwards but, uniquely, it can be used three times before putting Mr. Tinker into helpless state. Tinker's body while ascending and the pink puffs emitted by the Puff-Pack deal damage.
• Down Special - Orbot and Cubot: Mr. Tinker summons Orbot and Cubot, his robotic friends invented during the events of Mr. Tinker in the Land of Dreams, the third entry in the franchise. Orbot and Cubot stay still where they were summoned, but if someone steps next to them, Cubot will take a megaphone and scream "WAKE UP!" (similar to what he does at the end of each level in Land of Dreams). The shockwave is powerful enough to launch both the opponent and Orbot forward, making Orbot a bouncing projectile of sorts. After performing this attack or after a few moments, the robotic duo disappears. Mr. Tinker can't summon Orbot and Cubot if they are on the stage already.
• Final Smash - Wrecking Machine 303: Mr. Tinker jumps inside his Wrecking Machine 303 (a flying car with a wrecking ball attached to it) and flies atop the stage, swinging the wrecking ball back and forth, dealing damage and knock back. After a few moments, Mr. Tinker jumps out of the Wrecking Machine 303 and lands on stage. This attack is based on the Wrecking Machine 3003, the invention that Mr. Tinker uses at the end of Land of Dreams to destroy Mr. Needlemouse's Blue Torpedo, the powerful rocket he intends to throw at the real world. Unlike Land of Dreams, this time the player is able to control the Wrecking Machine 303, not just the Dream Gun 101.

Job #16: Captain Rocket

Inspired to take advantage of the success of the superhero genre (especially the Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve), GamesSoft was decided to create a super-hero based IP. After a few unsuccessful ideas (Owlman was deemed too similar to Batman, Ultra-Kid too childish, and The Defender too similar to Captain America), the group settled on the idea of Captain Rocket, a gadget-based superhero with the ability to fly using his jetpack that wielded a plethora of different weapons.
The first title in the Captain Rocket series, aptly named Captain Rocket, was a side-scrolling action-platform game. Set in 2042, the game starred the eponymous Captain Rocket in his quest to defeat the mad scientist Dr. Eugene Vil, who built an army of robots and genetically engineered monsters (inspired by kaiju and other giant creatures like King Kong) in his plan to conquer the United States. Captain Rocket employed a unique gameplay loop that, for the time, was seen as very innovative: the game cycled through sections on foot (which were essentially side-scrolling action games with some platform sections) and flying sections, where the player was able to freely fly using Captain Rocket's jetpack, while blasting flying enemies with his trusty laser bracelet. Uniquely, the player was able to upgrade Captain Rocket's equipment before each level.
Captain Rocket was a critical and financial success: the unique and, for the time, complex gameplay loop, the great graphics, the decently convoluted plot (with even a twist villain at the end, where Dr. E. Vil is overthrown by his "loyal" lackey Don), and the snappy dialogue were cited as major features of the game. Critics also noticed how the game capitalized on the success of both superhero and kaiju movies, which made it especially popular among younger audience. The success of this title pushed GamesSoft into making a sequel, Captain Rocket II, which expanded the themes of the first entry.
After a few titles and remakes with the same formula, Captain Rocket saw his 3D debut in Captain Rocket: Free Flight, which transformed the series from an action-platform into a free-roaming experience.
To this day, Captain Rocket is one of the most iconic mascots of GamesSoft and he sees somewhat regular releases.

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

I’ll sit out a character submission this time around - I like all the choices and don’t want to make it too difficult but I will submit a moveset for Mr. Tinker. Submissions for characters and the next job will start either today or tomorrow.

Neutral Special: Boo!
He pulls out one of the Fears from the original The Talented Mr. Tinker (A spider, needle, bat, or cartoon ghost) and a blast from off-screen shoots it, potentially hitting anyone close by it. This references the main gameplay loop of The Talented Mr. Tinker where the player shoots fears.

Side Special: Dream Smash
He gets into the Dreamcaster device which causes him to curl into a ball and barrel forward. During this state he can bounce on enemies but that also makes it quite dangerous if done close to a ledge. This references a recurring mini-game between levels which debuted in The Talented Mr. Tinker 2, where Mr. Tinker is curled in a ball avoiding bumpers in the Dreamscape area.

Up Special: Opa-Opa
He grabs onto the legs of Opa-Opa who flies him upwards a bit. Opa-Opa is the protagonist of the text adventure game Fantasy Zone, created by SEGA before The Talented Mr. Tinker. Opa-Opa was retconned into being one of Mr. Tinker’s inventions he sent into space in the game Mr. Tinker’s Cosmic Crusade

Down Special: Orbot & Cubot
He places down one of his robot assistants, Orbot or Cubot. They stay in one area (using their propellants to fly upwards if they’re in the air) and stay there for a few seconds, pushing any opponent that hits them. There’s a 10 second cooldown between placing one robot.

Final Smash: Wrath of Needlemouse
The series antagonist (and sometimes ally) Mr. Needlemouse appears and turns gigantic. He moves around the stage attacking anyone who comes near. This includes Mr. Tinker but you can shoot Needlemouse to make sure he doesn’t get close.

 

[Wario Wario Wario]

Up Special: Opa-Opa
He grabs onto the legs of Opa-Opa who flies him upwards a bit. Opa-Opa is the protagonist of the text adventure game Fantasy Zone, created by SEGA before The Talented Mr. Tinker. Opa-Opa was retconned into being one of Mr. Tinker’s inventions he sent into space in the game Mr. Tinker’s Cosmic Crusade

is this an elaborately subtle two flickies reference

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

is this an elaborately subtle two flickies reference

Didn’t intend it that way but that’s funny so yes I totally did intend it that way

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

• Neutral Special - Dream Gun 101: Based on the main gameplay of The Talented Mr. Tinker, the Dream Gun 101 is the weapon the player uses to protect Mr. Tinker from incoming threats while he's sleeping. True to the gameplay of The Talented Mr. Tinker, Mr. Tinker himself doesn't wield the gun. Instead, while performing this attack, a reticle will appear over Mr. Tinker and it will travel forward. By holding the special attack button, the player can let the reticle move farther from Mr. Tinker (who points forward while performing this attack) and, by moving the analog stick up or down, it's possible to change the direction of the reticle (similarly to Zelda's Din's Fire). By releasing the special attack button, a bubbly bullet (similar to the ones appearing in The Talented Mr. Tinker) is shot where the reticle is. Uniquely, by lightly pressing the special attack button, it's possible to shoot to Mr. Tinker himself: this lets Mr. Tinker jump quite high, but he takes some small damage.
• Side Special - Ultra-Hand: Based on the second invention that Mr. Tinker creates in The Talented Mr. Tinker and the secondary gadget (after the Dream Gun 101) used in the sequel You Overslept Again, Mr. Tinker!, the Ultra-Hand is a retractible arm that ends in a glove, used to grab distant objects. In Smash, the Ultra-Hand can be used as a sort of distant-reaching command grab. Uniquely, Mr. Tinker can grab items using the Ultra-Hand and he'll be able to use them. If used in midair or against a midair opponent, the Ultra-Hand will simply push the target away. It can also be used as a sort of tether recovery too.
• Up Special - Puff-Pack: This gadget is introduced in The Talented Mr. Tinker as a jet-pack (that emits pink, fragrant smoke) used by Flying Zombies, an enemy somewhat common in later stages. The Puff-Pack is Mr. Tinker's last invention in that game and makes an important appearance in the spin-off title The Talented Lady Tinker, where Lady Tinker, Mr. Tinker's daughter, uses it to save her father by the evil Mr. Needlemouse. In Smash, the Puff-Pack gives Mr. Tinker a small boost upwards but, uniquely, it can be used three times before putting Mr. Tinker into helpless state. Tinker's body while ascending and the pink puffs emitted by the Puff-Pack deal damage.
• Down Special - Orbot and Cubot: Mr. Tinker summons Orbot and Cubot, his robotic friends invented during the events of Mr. Tinker in the Land of Dreams, the third entry in the franchise. Orbot and Cubot stay still where they were summoned, but if someone steps next to them, Cubot will take a megaphone and scream "WAKE UP!" (similar to what he does at the end of each level in Land of Dreams). The shockwave is powerful enough to launch both the opponent and Orbot forward, making Orbot a bouncing projectile of sorts. After performing this attack or after a few moments, the robotic duo disappears. Mr. Tinker can't summon Orbot and Cubot if they are on the stage already.
• Final Smash - Wrecking Machine 303: Mr. Tinker jumps inside his Wrecking Machine 3003 (a flying car with a wrecking ball attached to it) and flies atop the stage, swinging the wrecking ball back and forth, dealing damage and knock back. After a few moments, Mr. Tinker jumps out of the Wrecking Machine 303 and lands on stage. This attack is based on the Wrecking Machine 3003, the invention that Mr. Tinker uses at the end of Land of Dreams to destroy Mr. Needlemouse's Blue Torpedo, the powerful rocket he intends to throw at the real world. Unlike Land of Dreams, this time the player is able to control the Wrecking Machine 303, not just the Dream Gun 101.

I just realized you had submitted a Tinker moveset- probably wouldn’t have made his down special use Orbot and Cubot if I had seen it here sorry bout that. Anyways small thing but in a prior submission the sequel to The Talented Mr. Tinker has already been named The Takented Mr. Tinker 2 instead of what you had submitted:

Dreamscape (Stage) - Alternate Videogame Universe

Dreamscape is a stage in Super Smash Bros, coming from the Mr. Tinker series.

avu.miraheze.org

If you could just adjust that thing that would be great, everything else is fine. (in the future I’ll be sure to link to more pages that might be relevant for jobs like these that was kind of on me)

 

[LoZ00]

I just realized you had submitted a Tinker moveset- probably wouldn’t have made his down special use Orbot and Cubot if I had seen it here sorry bout that. Anyways small thing but in a prior submission the sequel to The Talented Mr. Tinker has already been named The Takented Mr. Tinker 2 instead of what you had submitted:

Dreamscape (Stage) - Alternate Videogame Universe

Dreamscape is a stage in Super Smash Bros, coming from the Mr. Tinker series.

avu.miraheze.org

If you could just adjust that thing that would be great, everything else is fine. (in the future I’ll be sure to link to more pages that might be relevant for jobs like these that was kind of on me)

Crap, I utterly forgot about it! I changed that, thanks!

 

[darkvortex]

Ignore this

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

Boo (Boo's Spooky Adventure)
A ghost who has the power to possess people. He loves to scare people. But when he finds out the King Ghost intends to take over humanity, Boo must step up and save the day. the game is a puzzle platfomer in which the titular ghost must take over people and objects in each world in order to defeat one of the King's minions or other threats. The first game had a fairly simple story. But later games would expand on the world with the introduction of characters like Professer E. Gadd, a kindly professor who befriends Boo, Vivian, a ghost friend of Boo's, and mkre.

Unfortunately I don’t think I’d be able to accept this submission as it is since Nintendo wouldn’t really be involved with it, the specific names of Mario characters wouldn’t really make sense to be in in the game. The main character being named Boo and there being a King Ghodt should be fine though. If there was some involvement by Nintendo or if the names were different it could be fine. Also I know I didn’t really say this in the job but if you could also post the year the first game released that would be great.

 

[Wario Wario Wario]

Unfortunately I don’t think I’d be able to accept this submission as it is since Nintendo wouldn’t really be involved with it, the specific names of Mario characters wouldn’t really make sense to be in in the game. The main character being named Boo and there being a King Ghodt should be fine though. If there was some involvement by Nintendo or if the names were different it could be fine. Also I know I didn’t really say this in the job but if you could also post the year the first game released that would be great.

Didn't we establish that only SMB1 existed in this world, and was a flop or niche? I don't see how E. Gadd and Vivian being made by someone else for a different project is that much of a stretch, given that neither they or Boo were in SMB1.

 

[darkvortex]

Unfortunately I don’t think I’d be able to accept this submission as it is since Nintendo wouldn’t really be involved with it, the specific names of Mario characters wouldn’t really make sense to be in in the game. The main character being named Boo and there being a King Ghodt should be fine though. If there was some involvement by Nintendo or if the names were different it could be fine. Also I know I didn’t really say this in the job but if you could also post the year the first game released that would be great.

Changed the last sentence

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

Didn't we establish that only SMB1 existed in this world, and was a flop or niche? I don't see how E. Gadd and Vivian being made by someone else for a different project is that much of a stretch, given that neither they or Boo were in SMB1.

Thats a good point I suppose it would work if we say someone who would have worked at Nintendo and created the characters in our universe went and created them for Gamessoft but I just think it wouldn’t make much sense if there isn’t really an explanation for it. Especially since Gamessoft is a British company not Japanese like Nintendo.

Plus I guess we haven’t really established anything around it but I interpreted the thing with Super Mario Bros. as it still having being developed by Shigeru Miyamoto just in a different format.

 

[darkvortex]

I'm just gonna sit this round out

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

Here is the poll to decide whose Mr. Tinker moveset will be used:

Job #15: Mr. Tinker's Moveset

Spoiler: Moveset

• Neutral Special - Dream Gun 101: Based on the main gameplay of The Talented Mr. Tinker, the Dream Gun 101 is the weapon the player uses to protect Mr. Tinker from incoming threats while he's sleeping. True to the gameplay of The Talented Mr. Tinker, Mr. Tinker himself doesn't wield the gun. Instead, while performing this attack, a reticle will appear over Mr. Tinker and it will travel forward. By holding the special attack button, the player can let the reticle move farther from Mr. Tinker (who points forward while performing this attack) and, by moving the analog stick up or down, it's possible to change the direction of the reticle (similarly to Zelda's Din's Fire). By releasing the special attack button, a bubbly bullet (similar to the ones appearing in The Talented Mr. Tinker) is shot where the reticle is. Uniquely, by lightly pressing the special attack button, it's possible to shoot to Mr. Tinker himself: this lets Mr. Tinker jump quite high, but he takes some small damage.
• Side Special - Ultra-Hand: Based on the second invention that Mr. Tinker creates in The Talented Mr. Tinker and the secondary gadget (after the Dream Gun 101) used in the sequel The Talented Mr. Tinker 2, the Ultra-Hand is a retractible arm that ends in a glove, used to grab distant objects. In Smash, the Ultra-Hand can be used as a sort of distant-reaching command grab. Uniquely, Mr. Tinker can grab items using the Ultra-Hand and he'll be able to use them. If used in midair or against a midair opponent, the Ultra-Hand will simply push the target away. It can also be used as a sort of tether recovery too.
• Up Special - Puff-Pack: This gadget is introduced in The Talented Mr. Tinker as a jet-pack (that emits pink, fragrant smoke) used by Flying Zombies, an enemy somewhat common in later stages. The Puff-Pack is Mr. Tinker's last invention in that game and makes an important appearance in the spin-off title The Talented Lady Tinker, where Lady Tinker, Mr. Tinker's daughter, uses it to save her father by the evil Mr. Needlemouse. In Smash, the Puff-Pack gives Mr. Tinker a small boost upwards but, uniquely, it can be used three times before putting Mr. Tinker into helpless state. Tinker's body while ascending and the pink puffs emitted by the Puff-Pack deal damage.
• Down Special - Orbot and Cubot: Mr. Tinker summons Orbot and Cubot, his robotic friends invented during the events of Mr. Tinker in the Land of Dreams, the third entry in the franchise. Orbot and Cubot stay still where they were summoned, but if someone steps next to them, Cubot will take a megaphone and scream "WAKE UP!" (similar to what he does at the end of each level in Land of Dreams). The shockwave is powerful enough to launch both the opponent and Orbot forward, making Orbot a bouncing projectile of sorts. After performing this attack or after a few moments, the robotic duo disappears. Mr. Tinker can't summon Orbot and Cubot if they are on the stage already.
• Final Smash - Wrecking Machine 303: Mr. Tinker jumps inside his Wrecking Machine 303 (a flying car with a wrecking ball attached to it) and flies atop the stage, swinging the wrecking ball back and forth, dealing damage and knock back. After a few moments, Mr. Tinker jumps out of the Wrecking Machine 303 and lands on stage. This attack is based on the Wrecking Machine 3003, the invention that Mr. Tinker uses at the end of Land of Dreams to destroy Mr. Needlemouse's Blue Torpedo, the powerful rocket he intends to throw at the real world. Unlike Land of Dreams, this time the player is able to control the Wrecking Machine 303, not just the Dream Gun 101.

Job #16: Captain Rocket
View attachment 375012
Inspired to take advantage of the success of the superhero genre (especially the Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve), GamesSoft was decided to create a super-hero based IP. After a few unsuccessful ideas (Owlman was deemed too similar to Batman, Ultra-Kid too childish, and The Defender too similar to Captain America), the group settled on the idea of Captain Rocket, a gadget-based superhero with the ability to fly using his jetpack that wielded a plethora of different weapons.
The first title in the Captain Rocket series, aptly named Captain Rocket, was a side-scrolling action-platform game. Set in 2042, the game starred the eponymous Captain Rocket in his quest to defeat the mad scientist Dr. Eugene Vil, who built an army of robots and genetically engineered monsters (inspired by kaiju and other giant creatures like King Kong) in his plan to conquer the United States. Captain Rocket employed a unique gameplay loop that, for the time, was seen as very innovative: the game cycled through sections on foot (which were essentially side-scrolling action games with some platform sections) and flying sections, where the player was able to freely fly using Captain Rocket's jetpack, while blasting flying enemies with his trusty laser bracelet. Uniquely, the player was able to upgrade Captain Rocket's equipment before each level.
Captain Rocket was a critical and financial success: the unique and, for the time, complex gameplay loop, the great graphics, the decently convoluted plot (with even a twist villain at the end, where Dr. E. Vil is overthrown by his "loyal" lackey Don), and the snappy dialogue were cited as major features of the game. Critics also noticed how the game capitalized on the success of both superhero and kaiju movies, which made it especially popular among younger audience. The success of this title pushed GamesSoft into making a sequel, Captain Rocket II, which expanded the themes of the first entry.
After a few titles and remakes with the same formula, Captain Rocket saw his 3D debut in Captain Rocket: Free Flight, which transformed the series from an action-platform into a free-roaming experience.
To this day, Captain Rocket is one of the most iconic mascots of GamesSoft and he sees somewhat regular releases.

I’ll sit out a character submission this time around - I like all the choices and don’t want to make it too difficult but I will submit a moveset for Mr. Tinker. Submissions for characters and the next job will start either today or tomorrow.

Neutral Special: Boo!
He pulls out one of the Fears from the original The Talented Mr. Tinker (A spider, needle, bat, or cartoon ghost) and a blast from off-screen shoots it, potentially hitting anyone close by it. This references the main gameplay loop of The Talented Mr. Tinker where the player shoots fears.

Side Special: Dream Smash
He gets into the Dreamcaster device which causes him to curl into a ball and barrel forward. During this state he can bounce on enemies but that also makes it quite dangerous if done close to a ledge. This references a recurring mini-game between levels which debuted in The Talented Mr. Tinker 2, where Mr. Tinker is curled in a ball avoiding bumpers in the Dreamscape area.

Up Special: Opa-Opa
He grabs onto the legs of Opa-Opa who flies him upwards a bit. Opa-Opa is the protagonist of the text adventure game Fantasy Zone, created by SEGA before The Talented Mr. Tinker. Opa-Opa was retconned into being one of Mr. Tinker’s inventions he sent into space in the game Mr. Tinker’s Cosmic Crusade

Down Special: Orbot & Cubot
He places down one of his robot assistants, Orbot or Cubot. They stay in one area (using their propellants to fly upwards if they’re in the air) and stay there for a few seconds, pushing any opponent that hits them. There’s a 10 second cooldown between placing one robot.

Final Smash: Wrath of Needlemouse
The series antagonist (and sometimes ally) Mr. Needlemouse appears and turns gigantic. He moves around the stage attacking anyone who comes near. This includes Mr. Tinker but you can shoot Needlemouse to make sure he doesn’t get close.

Whose Mr. Tinker Moveset Should We Use? - Online Poll - StrawPoll

What's your opinion? Vote now: Champion of Hyrule, LoZ00...

strawpoll.com

Please vote for your preferred option.

Here are the options for our next characters:

Job 16:

Janine the Adventurer (Treasure of Ancienterra)
​

Janine Goldtooth the Adventurer is the main protagonist of "Treasure of Ancienterra" action-adventure video game series made by "Gamessoft" and she is an explorer who got "Isekai'd" to a fantastic "ancient" world by entering the unknown temple found in Mexico and accidentally touching a golden idol shaped like a monkey.
In "Treasure of Ancienterra" (her debut game that was released in later half of 1982 on the same console as Winstann the Gnome), she falls out the the sky and lands in jungle area. The she starts to explore the world while doing various puzzles and she needs to defeat the king Gogonguma (A giant gorilla with "dark magic" powers). The in later games, she goes beyond the "aztec"-like area and explore various places based on history and mythologies.

(Her debut game was like Legend of Zelda and Atari's adventure, but it also included 2D segments similar to Zelda II and also mechanics from Pitfall)

She was inspired by Indiana Jones, Jeanne Baret (First female explorer) and Princess Leia from Star Wars.


She became an video game icon due to being a first female video game character ever created and she kickstarted the franchise that she debuted in. Also the franchise was so big that got movies, comics, cartoon and toys.



Her moveset in the game would references a lot of her games that were made during that time like usage of chain whip (Treasure of Ancienterra: Underworld dungeons), mechanical shovel (ToA: Forgotten dunes), machete (Treasure of Ancienterra) and subsonic gun (ToA: Gate of Zeus).
She could also do punches and kicks for her melee attacks.

She would be middleweight female fighter with ability to crawl, wall jump and wall cling.


I nominate her, because she should be the first female fighter in Smash and she would represent action-adventure video games. Also her explorer-themed moveset would be awesome for alternate video game history platfighter.
Also she could be great expy of Link from LoZ due to being both courageous adventurers that fight various threats.

Second Gamessoft series:
OK, I'm just gonna use this to make a game idea I've always wanted but have nowhere near enough connection to the genre to ever make a reality even if I did become a game dev... Not a funny one like my last subs, but still.

Gorilla (Wildlive)

Wildlive (pronounced as in "we live here" and not "live on stage") is a series of simulation titles - the original game was designed to highlight the Gamessoft System's ability to show both text and graphics at once, as well as the photo backgrounds. Each game lets you play as a variety of different animals as they try to survive in a harsh ecosystem, with the first title only featuring gorillas, later titles introducing other primates like lemurs and chimps, and, come the 3D age, a variety of different animals from all across the ecosystem, including sea creatures; domestic pets; and dinosaurs. As the games went on, they became more gamified and less like simulations, eventually becoming open world adventure titles with multiple silently-communicated plots.

Job 16: El Muerto Fuego(Fiestaville)

El Muerto Fuego(Spanish for The Undead Fire) is a major character in the Fiestaville Series, a minigame collection made by Gamesoft in the early 2000s. He acted as the main host from Fiestaville(1989) to Fiestaville 4: Move it and Groove It(1997) then from Fiestaville 5: Worldwide(2002) onwards had other companions to host the minigames with him, Pinyahata(the former antagonist of Move it and Groove It), Loveland the Frog and Parasol(a living parasol ala Perry).

His games were very popular due to the fastpaced and fun nature of the minigames you had to play.

His moveset will be based on the types of minigames he introduces to the player

I nominate him to represent party games. Also I don't think we had a party game based fighter in Smash Bros so it'll be interesting to see where this goes

Job 16: Ninbit (Space Strike)

Ninbit is the protagonist from the video game series called Space Strike,who the first game was released on 1986,the series is a sci-fi universe where aliens invaded the earth on 2047,and the scientists created a Ninbit for stop the destruction.

Ninbit is a female ninja robot,she wears a long red scarf and have a long blue hair,her metal skin is red and black and her eyes are glowing yellow,Ninbit also wears a neon sword with blue blade.

Space Strike's first game is a platform game who is a mix of Metroid,Ninja Gaiden and Castlevania.

Ninbit is a most iconic female character of the video game history,Space Strike have an OVA released on 1993,comic series made by Marvel Comics and a cartoon who have just one season and was been cancelled.

Ninbit's moveset is she as swordsman fighter,the attacks for references are laser pistol from Space Strike,the ability Dashing Blade from Supreme Space Strike,the ability Neon Tornado also from Space Strike:One More Invasion and the galactic bombs from Space Strike 2:The Return of Ninbit

I don't think I've ever seen this thread before, but I may as well give it a shot!

Job #16: D.C.I. Eleanor Lennox (Metropolitan)
Given that Winstann the Gnome is ostensibly a fantasy-themed platformer series, I felt it'd be a good idea to go with a different vibe alltogether for a second series - allowing for a greater degree of uniqueness in what it is we represent. As such, I'm suggesting D.C.I. Eleanor Lennox, one of the main characters from the Metropolitan series.

View attachment 374980

The Metropolitan series is primarily a combined point-and-click/visual novel series in which you (playing as D.C.I. Eleanor Lennox) are tasked with leading a small team of police investigators in order to solve various crimes, typically with a focus on homicide. Unlike a number of games similar to it, the Metropolitan series has a deliberately slower pace, intended to simulate a somewhat realistic interpretation of what the actual process of investigating as part of a police force is like, whilst also adding a degree of creative license so as to provide interest and excitement within its narratives.

The first game, Metropolitan (1981), was designed as a showcase for the Gamessoft System's ability to showcase detailed photographs as backgrounds as well as text and a pixellated heads-up display, with interactions with other characters, scenes, evidence and other such things all being shown in detail as a result (with live-action, technically!) Whilst somewhat primitive compared to later games in the series, it would introduce a number of the series' most prominent hallmarks - such as the element of team management on top of investigational skills, or the encouragement for you to actually think your way through problems as opposed to simply using trial and error.

In the first game, you play as D.C.I. Eleanor Lennox, a well-respected high-ranking member of the police, investigating the mysterious murder of a Jane Doe (later discovered to be one Josephine Simcox) in the Thamesmead Estate - during which you will need to investigate the crime scene, question various suspects, and eventually detain the culprit. D.C.I. Eleanor Lennox would continue to be the central character in much of the mainline series, and would feature in a number of settings - both in different locations around London, in different areas of the United Kingdom such as Oxford and Edinburgh, and even internationally in Paris and Venice. She would also feature as a side-character in a number of spinoff titles.

An interesting piece of trivia about the Metropolitan series is that a lot of the Gamessoft developers are reoccuring characters within it, usually as actors playing different roles due to the use of live-action photographs (even when the series transitioned to purely digital, a lot of the characters designs would continue to feature Gamessoft developers.) Interestingly, the decision to have the Thamesmead Estate as the setting for the first game was partially inspired by Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film A Clockwork Orange, though none of the employees of Gamessoft actually lived there at the time. The original inspiration for the game's genre came from various 70s and early 80s British crime drama television shows, though the writers felt it'd be better suited to go for a more realistic interpretation of police work so as to differentiate the Metropolitan series from various other pieces of media at the time.

The series has also had a number of spin-offs over the years, such as Metropolitan: Specialists (a late-90s arcade lightgun shooter) and Metropolitan: Blackout (a mid-00s spinoff set during the Second World War in 1941.)

Job #15: Mr. Tinker's Moveset

Spoiler: Moveset

• Neutral Special - Dream Gun 101: Based on the main gameplay of The Talented Mr. Tinker, the Dream Gun 101 is the weapon the player uses to protect Mr. Tinker from incoming threats while he's sleeping. True to the gameplay of The Talented Mr. Tinker, Mr. Tinker himself doesn't wield the gun. Instead, while performing this attack, a reticle will appear over Mr. Tinker and it will travel forward. By holding the special attack button, the player can let the reticle move farther from Mr. Tinker (who points forward while performing this attack) and, by moving the analog stick up or down, it's possible to change the direction of the reticle (similarly to Zelda's Din's Fire). By releasing the special attack button, a bubbly bullet (similar to the ones appearing in The Talented Mr. Tinker) is shot where the reticle is. Uniquely, by lightly pressing the special attack button, it's possible to shoot to Mr. Tinker himself: this lets Mr. Tinker jump quite high, but he takes some small damage.
• Side Special - Ultra-Hand: Based on the second invention that Mr. Tinker creates in The Talented Mr. Tinker and the secondary gadget (after the Dream Gun 101) used in the sequel The Talented Mr. Tinker 2, the Ultra-Hand is a retractible arm that ends in a glove, used to grab distant objects. In Smash, the Ultra-Hand can be used as a sort of distant-reaching command grab. Uniquely, Mr. Tinker can grab items using the Ultra-Hand and he'll be able to use them. If used in midair or against a midair opponent, the Ultra-Hand will simply push the target away. It can also be used as a sort of tether recovery too.
• Up Special - Puff-Pack: This gadget is introduced in The Talented Mr. Tinker as a jet-pack (that emits pink, fragrant smoke) used by Flying Zombies, an enemy somewhat common in later stages. The Puff-Pack is Mr. Tinker's last invention in that game and makes an important appearance in the spin-off title The Talented Lady Tinker, where Lady Tinker, Mr. Tinker's daughter, uses it to save her father by the evil Mr. Needlemouse. In Smash, the Puff-Pack gives Mr. Tinker a small boost upwards but, uniquely, it can be used three times before putting Mr. Tinker into helpless state. Tinker's body while ascending and the pink puffs emitted by the Puff-Pack deal damage.
• Down Special - Orbot and Cubot: Mr. Tinker summons Orbot and Cubot, his robotic friends invented during the events of Mr. Tinker in the Land of Dreams, the third entry in the franchise. Orbot and Cubot stay still where they were summoned, but if someone steps next to them, Cubot will take a megaphone and scream "WAKE UP!" (similar to what he does at the end of each level in Land of Dreams). The shockwave is powerful enough to launch both the opponent and Orbot forward, making Orbot a bouncing projectile of sorts. After performing this attack or after a few moments, the robotic duo disappears. Mr. Tinker can't summon Orbot and Cubot if they are on the stage already.
• Final Smash - Wrecking Machine 303: Mr. Tinker jumps inside his Wrecking Machine 303 (a flying car with a wrecking ball attached to it) and flies atop the stage, swinging the wrecking ball back and forth, dealing damage and knock back. After a few moments, Mr. Tinker jumps out of the Wrecking Machine 303 and lands on stage. This attack is based on the Wrecking Machine 3003, the invention that Mr. Tinker uses at the end of Land of Dreams to destroy Mr. Needlemouse's Blue Torpedo, the powerful rocket he intends to throw at the real world. Unlike Land of Dreams, this time the player is able to control the Wrecking Machine 303, not just the Dream Gun 101.

Job #16: Captain Rocket
View attachment 375012
Inspired to take advantage of the success of the superhero genre (especially the Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve), GamesSoft was decided to create a super-hero based IP. After a few unsuccessful ideas (Owlman was deemed too similar to Batman, Ultra-Kid too childish, and The Defender too similar to Captain America), the group settled on the idea of Captain Rocket, a gadget-based superhero with the ability to fly using his jetpack that wielded a plethora of different weapons.
The first title in the Captain Rocket series, aptly named Captain Rocket, was a side-scrolling action-platform game. Set in 2042, the game starred the eponymous Captain Rocket in his quest to defeat the mad scientist Dr. Eugene Vil, who built an army of robots and genetically engineered monsters (inspired by kaiju and other giant creatures like King Kong) in his plan to conquer the United States. Captain Rocket employed a unique gameplay loop that, for the time, was seen as very innovative: the game cycled through sections on foot (which were essentially side-scrolling action games with some platform sections) and flying sections, where the player was able to freely fly using Captain Rocket's jetpack, while blasting flying enemies with his trusty laser bracelet. Uniquely, the player was able to upgrade Captain Rocket's equipment before each level.
Captain Rocket was a critical and financial success: the unique and, for the time, complex gameplay loop, the great graphics, the decently convoluted plot (with even a twist villain at the end, where Dr. E. Vil is overthrown by his "loyal" lackey Don), and the snappy dialogue were cited as major features of the game. Critics also noticed how the game capitalized on the success of both superhero and kaiju movies, which made it especially popular among younger audience. The success of this title pushed GamesSoft into making a sequel, Captain Rocket II, which expanded the themes of the first entry.
After a few titles and remakes with the same formula, Captain Rocket saw his 3D debut in Captain Rocket: Free Flight, which transformed the series from an action-platform into a free-roaming experience.
To this day, Captain Rocket is one of the most iconic mascots of GamesSoft and he sees somewhat regular releases.

Tankman from Newgrounds Janine the Adventurer
Wario Wario Wario Gorilla
Qwerty UIOP El Muerto Fuego
DragonRobotKing26 Ninbit
KneeOfJustice99 DCI Eleanor Lennox
LoZ00 Captain Rocket

So please vote for your top three most wanted in order. Your own submission can’t be in first place.
My votes:
1. Eleanor
2. Gorilla
3. Captain Rocket

 

[Qwerty UIOP]

1. Janine the Adventurer
2. El Muerto Fuego
3. Captian Rocket

 

[DragonRobotKing26]

1. Captain Rocket (LoZ cooked very well)
2. Janine
3. Ninbit

 

[darkvortex]

1. Captain Rocket
2. Janine
3. Eleanor

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

Job #17: Submit A Second Generation Console
So we currently have three main players in the console market: Gamessoft, SEGA and Anthill. We have their first generation but what about the second? You can make ideas for consoles for any of those companies. Please include noteable exclusives, games of the time, and features of the console as well as any other notable information on the console itself. Please note that while Sega and Anthill’s stuff were in the late 80s Gamessoft was a little earlier to the table in 1980 (and in its heyday was mostly competing with arcades). So I would like for these consoles to release around the 1988–1996 range. It was established already that Gamessoft stopped making consoles in the fourth generation so keep that in mind. Here are some relevant wiki pages:

Anthill - Alternate Videogame Universe

avu.miraheze.org

Blue Formica - Alternate Videogame Universe

avu.miraheze.org

SEGA - Alternate Videogame Universe

avu.miraheze.org

The Talented Mr. Tinker - Alternate Videogame Universe

The Talented Mr. Tinker is a 1991 game by SEGA for the SEGA Mega Drive. It is one of the most popular games of all time and the protagonist, Mr. Tinker, is a playable...

avu.miraheze.org

Gamessoft - Alternate Videogame Universe

avu.miraheze.org

Gamessoft System - Alternate Videogame Universe

avu.miraheze.org

 

[Tankman from Newgrounds]

1. Eleanor
2. Janine the Adventurer
3. Captain Rocket


Console submission:

Turbo Gamessoft System​

Turbo Gamessoft System is a second generation console made by British company Gamessoft and it was released in october 27, 1988. This console was conceptualized and designed by scottish computer designer Morag Russell (First female person to design a video game console) and it was meant to be successor to original Gamessoft system with better graphics and more possibilities (like rendering 3D polygons via D3 chip and ability to support voice acting clips in video games). Just like the name of console suggests, the console works faster (which it loads games faster) than previous system in terms of software.

This console uses S-SMP as a soundchip just like SNES from our real timeline.

The console itself had new features like inserting 2 discs at once unlike the first console and you could pick one of two games featured on TV screen.
Also it still retains the LCD screen from previous console, but it has more colors like red or blue rather than just black & white/light green and also 3D photography (also this feature supports the 3D polygonal games as well, which it makes the games more dimensional).


It's design is similar to SNES, but it's gray and blue and it's 0,5 times bigger than previous console. The controllers to the game look like cross between SNES controllers and non-dualshock PS1 controllers.

This console has a lot of peripherals like:
1. Gamessoft Snipe - Super scope of our universe.
2. Turbo mouse - It was used for games like Drawing with Winstann or other games.
3. Turbo keyboard - comes with turbo mouse.

The console became a huge hit around the world, including UK, USA, Japan and Australia. It sold 500,000 in first 3 days (quite crazy, but it was a huge hit) and it was praised as a big improvement comparing to original console. Also this console was popular for retro gaming by many fans and it was even referenced in many cartoon, movies and comics.


Exclusive games:
1. Winstann the Gnome 3: Trouble in lost world (Release year: 1988)
2. Bomb-Robo country (Partnership with Nihcom) (Release year: 1989)
3. Treasure of Ancienterra (Release year 1989)
4. Ground of War (Game that uses Gamessoft snipe) (Release year: 1990)
5. Winstann's road racing (Year: 1991)
6. Knucklez N Toez (Year: 1992) (A beat'em up game made by West Sun systems - a Japanese company and published by Gamessoft Japan)
7. Super Mechlander (Year: 1993) (A sequel to previous Mechlander game from 1983) (Uses D3 Chip since this game is 3D like Star Fox)
8. Chronicles of Mediterra IV (Year: 1994) (Created by Gamessoft of Japan)
9. Pinky's archipelago: a Winstann's story (1994)
10. Highway Wars (1995 - also uses D3 chip) (Originally meant to be a licensed game based on Mad Max movies, but the license has expired quickly, so they created a new IP inspired by the movies)
11. Super Winstann RPG: Legend of the Golden Koi (1996)

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

1. Eleanor
2. Janine the Adventurer
3. Captain Rocket


Console submission:

Turbo Gamessoft System​

Turbo Gamessoft System is a second generation console made by British company Gamessoft and it was released in october 27, 1988. This console was conceptualized and designed by scottish computer designer Morag Russell (First female person to design a video game console) and it was meant to be successor to original Gamessoft system with better graphics and more possibilities (like rendering 3D polygons via D3 chip and ability to support voice acting clips in video games).
This console uses S-SMP as a soundchip just like SNES from our real timeline.

It's design is similar to SNES, but it's gray and blue and it has a hole that you put a cartridge inside the hole like NES.

This console has a lot of peripherals like:
1. Gamessoft Snipe - Super scope of our universe.
2. Turbo mouse - It was used for games like Drawing with Winstann or other games.
3. Turbo keyboard - comes with turbo mouse.

The console became a huge hit around the world, including UK, USA, Japan and Australia. It sold 500,000 in first 3 days (quite crazy, but it was a huge hit) and it was praised as a big improvement comparing to original console. Also this console was popular for retro gaming by many fans and it was even referenced in many cartoon, movies and comics.


Exclusive games:
1. Winstann the Gnome 3: Trouble in lost world (Release year: 1988)
2. Bomb-Robo country (Partnership with Nihcom) (Release year: 1989)
3. Treasure of Ancienterra (Release year 1989)
4. Ground of War (Game that uses Gamessoft snipe) (Release year: 1990)
5. Winstann's road racing (Year: 1991)
6. Knucklez N Toez (Year: 1992) (A beat'em up game made by West Sun systems - a Japanese company and published by Gamessoft Japan)
7. Super Mechlander (Year: 1993) (A sequel to previous Mechlander game from 1983) (Uses D3 Chip since this game is 3D like Star Fox)
8. Chronicles of Mediterra IV (Year: 1994) (Created by Gamessoft of Japan)
9. Pinky's archipelago: a Winstann's story (1994)
10. Highway Wars (1995 - also uses D3 chip) (Originally meant to be a licensed game based on Mad Max movies, but the license has expired quickly, so they created a new IP inspired by the movies)
11. Super Winstann RPG: Legend of the Golden Koi (1996)

I think the submission is fine but would you mind adding some stuff to further connect it to what the previous Gamessoft System already had? As an example two big parts about it was that it was able to play computer games and displayed a picture on a separate frame from gameplay, so maybe a short bit of text about if they’re still here or how those features work in this console?

Also for everyone just to clarify the Gamessoft console would be the second generation along with the Mega Drive and Blue Formica and Anthill and Sega’s next consoles would be the third generation.

 

[Tankman from Newgrounds]

I think the submission is fine but would you mind adding some stuff to further connect it to what the previous Gamessoft System already had? As an example two big parts about it was that it was able to play computer games and displayed a picture on a separate frame from gameplay, so maybe a short bit of text about if they’re still here or how those features work in this console?

Also for everyone just to clarify the Gamessoft console would be the second generation along with the Mega Drive and Blue Formica and Anthill and Sega’s next consoles would be the third generation.

Okay, sure. I'll do it.

 

[DragonRobotKing26]

Job 17: Neo Inter System (or NIS)

Neo Inter System is a second generation console made by Anthill and released in 1983 on USA,on Europe was in 1984 and on Japan was in 1986. This console was made by the game designer Arthur Hawthone in early 1980s,who he wanted to create a console where the games have more colors and can have chiptune sounds similar from NES and Master System.

NIS is a mix of Atari 2600,Master System and Nintendo Entertainment System,the console is rectangular and have a thing for put the cartriges with safe,the colors of NIS are black and gray.

The controller is similar to NES' and Master System controller but with a lever,two buttons with the letters B and A and a start button.

Neo Inter System also have an accessory called Neo Disk System,where it's possible to play and put floppy disks and diskettes,similar to Famicom Disk and another accessory who are a keyboard and a computer mouse called Web Neo,where it's possible to play computer games.

The Console sold very well,having 30 million of copies sold,and the console is referenced by the pop culture.

Exclusive Games:
1. Tom The Kid in Incredible World (1986) (a Platformer game kinda similar from Alex Kidd in Miracle World and Super Mario Bros.)
2. Galacticus (1984) (a Space Shooter similar from Space Invaders and made by Pyboros and lisensed game)
3. Hero's Journey (1983) (this game is similar from Atari's Adventure)
4. Bomb Robo (1984) (this game is a port most known)
5. Blockz (1987) (this game is similar from Tetris)
6. Castle War (1988) (this game is almost an Angry Birds,but with castles and cannons)
7. Tennis (this game is similar to Pong)
8. Mysterious Case (1984) (a Visual Novel made by Anthill Japan,and considered a cult classic)
9. Fight City (1987) (a Beat em Up lisensed game and made by Sinion)
10. Fantastic Arcane (1989) (an RPG game kinda similar from Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy)

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

Job 17: Neo Inter System (or NIS)

Neo Inter System is a second generation console made by Anthill and released in 1983 on USA,on Europe was in 1984 and on Japan was in 1986. This console was made by the game designer Arthur Hawthone in early 1980s,who he wanted to create a console where the games have more colors and can have chiptune sounds similar from NES and Master System.

NIS is a mix of Atari 2600,Master System and Nintendo Entertainment System,the console is rectangular and have a thing for put the cartriges with safe,the colors of NIS are black and gray.

The controller is similar to NES' and Master System controller but with a lever,two buttons with the letters B and A and a start button.

Neo Inter System also have an accessory called Neo Disk System,where it's possible to play and put floppy disks and diskettes,similar to Famicom Disk and another accessory who are a keyboard and a computer mouse called Web Neo,where it's possible to play computer games.

The Console sold very well,having 30 million of copies sold,and the console is referenced by the pop culture.

Exclusive Games:
1. Tom The Kid in Incredible World (1986) (a Platformer game kinda similar from Alex Kidd in Miracle World and Super Mario Bros.)
2. Galacticus (1984) (a Space Shooter similar from Space Invaders and made by Pyboros and lisensed game)
3. Hero's Journey (1983) (this game is similar from Atari's Adventure)
4. Bomb Robo (1984) (this game is a port most known)
5. Blockz (1987) (this game is similar from Tetris)
6. Castle War (1988) (this game is almost an Angry Birds,but with castles and cannons)
7. Tennis (this game is similar to Pong)
8. Mysterious Case (1984) (a Visual Novel made by Anthill Japan,and considered a cult classic)
9. Fight City (1987) (a Beat em Up lisensed game and made by Sinion)
10. Fantastic Arcane (1989) (an RPG game kinda similar from Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy)

This console would have to release in the generation after the Blue Formica

 

[LoZ00]

1. Gorilla: I think that Wildlive is an interesting concept for a video game (I'd personally love it). I also believe that Gorilla is such a fun idea for a character. Like, dude, it's literally a gorilla, what you gonna do about that?
2. Janine the Adventurer: another amazing concept. I think that the combination of the first LoZ, Zelda II, and Pitfall works very well and explorers are such fun archetypes that, sadly, don't get enough representation nowadays. I think that her moveset would be a lot of fun to play around.
3. Captain Rocket: what am I going to say? I really want to add a rocket-related character and I think that, after explorers, superheroes are a very fun archetype. In our real world, most superhero games tended to be licensed titles, so I think it might be fun to see what would happen if we got a series based on an entirely original superhero.

----
Job #17: Rainbow Formica (Anthill)
The Blue Formica was very well received, but its weakest point was definitely its inability to display colored images (all games were in greyscale) and its rather poor battery, which severely limited the possibility to play games on it. Anthill started working on ways to improve these weaknesses shortly after the overseas release of the Blue Formica, in 1988. After a few years and some financial problems (including the risk of bankruptcy in 1991), in 1994 Anthill finally released the sequel of the Blue Formica, which was called Rainbow Formica. The Rainbow Formica was again a handheld system (DiNoto would later explain that this choice was made due to the strict competition of SEGA and GamesSoft in the home console market), but this time it solved some of the Blue Formica's most glaring issues, namely the aforementioned poor battery performance and greyscale screen. The name Rainbow Formica was indeed chosen to represent the handheld's ability to display colors, although still showing limited prowess with respect to other home consoles. Unlike the Blue Formica, the Rainbow Formica came in three different colors: yellow (the default version), turquoise, and fuchsia. Later on, a few more color variations (including the coveted and limited red version) of the Rainbow Formica would be released.

The Rainbow Formica revolutionized the standards set by the Blue Formica: for starters, it was twice as large, but easily portable because the screen and the button could be closed like a clamshell phone. Then, it added two more shoulder buttons (named L and R), bringing the total amount to four buttons, and finally it added the ability to connect with other Rainbow Formicas by using the Connect Cable, a peripheral that was sold separately that allowed two Rainbow Formicas to connect together and share data.

Despite its massive advances with respect to the Blue Formica, the Rainbow Formica struggled at first with sales: in the US, people were a bit skeptical and believed the Rainbow Formica to be nothing more than a simple upgraded version of the Blue Formica, ignoring the fact that they were completely different systems; in Europe the handheld had a bit more success, though nothing groundbreaking and definitely far from the success that the Blue Formica had in the US. Things were very different in Japan (where the system was released a year later, in 1995), where it immediately became a mainstay and something of a cultural phenomenon. Indeed, in all the East, many developers tried to copy the idea behind the Rainbow Formica.

The lack of early sales (and perhaps part of the secret of the success of the system in the East) was also at least in part due to its somewhat underwhelming launch lineup, mostly made of colored remakes of games already found on the Blue Formica. As an effort to better sell the Rainbow Formica, Anthill made many deals with third party developers and boosted its internal developing division (while also reducing the hardware division, in the process). In a few months, the Rainbow Formica had a decent lineup of exclusive titles and it quickly raised in sales in the US and, more limitedly, in Europe.

Notable exclusives:

1. Soup the Cat: ReMASTER (1994, launch title of the Rainbow Formica, a remastered, recolored version of the original Soup the Cat for the Blue Formica with a few bonus stages)
2. Soup the Cat 2 (1996, the critically acclaimed sequel of Soup the Cat that saw our beloved kitten travel through the world)
3. Soup the Cat 3 (1999, the final installment of the original trilogy)
4. The Many Cases of Penny Lane (1995, a top-down puzzle game where the player, controlling the P. I. Penny Lane, has to solve a case of murder)
5. Circus Maximus (1995, a mini-game collection, based on various circus attractions and situations)
6. Button Mashers (1998, a 2D fighting game with a generic, but colorful cast of characters that used to its fullest the ability to connect multiple Rainbow Formica systems)
7. Olympics (1995, developed by LoveGames, it had a series of mini-games based on olympic sports, while also having full playable versions of tennis and baseball, the latter being almost ported from Anthill's original Baseball, released for the Blue Formica)
8. Kingdom of Unknown (1995, made by a third party developer, its a fairly standard RPG with a few interesting aspects in the gameplay)
9. Rocket Girl (1996, developed by Tsukihaba, a side-scrolling schmup with an emphasis on avoiding obstacles)
10. Explorer of Atlantis (1996, developed by Sunsoft, a side-scrolling platform where the player tries to solve the mystery of Atlantis)
11. Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (1998, developed by Capcom, a licensed platform title that sees the player control Chip or Dale to defeat the evil Fat Cat)
12. Ghostbusters (1999, made by a third party developer, a side-scrolling shooting game based on the famous movie series. Notably, two Rainbow Formicas could connect, allowing players to explore the levels together as Venkman, the main playable character, and Zeddemore)

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

Make sure to get your votes in everyone!!

I'll submit the next console for Sega, the Sega Saturn

The Sega Saturn was released by Sega in 1995 in it's primary markets of Japan and Latin America with one main goal: to finally capture the American audience. A massive push was made to try and market it to the United States due to Gamessoft's financial troubles and numerous attack adds were launched against Anthill's offerings of the time (in fact the name was party chosen due to wanting big imagery in contrast to ant imagery which was ironic since Sega tried handhelds later on.) This big push for an American audience might have left a few people in Latin America and Southeast Asia (the most popular regions for their previous console, the Sega Mega Drive) feeling left out but it did manage to get their foot in the door and they were being looked at as a potential Gamessoft "replacement".

At the time, Gamessoft's pre-rendered backgrounds and beautiful landscapes competed with a simpler yet cheaper look of Anthill's consoles but it was the Sega Saturn that was the medium between these two extremes, with mostly high quality sprite work and polygonal assets. This helped it to look more like the reasonable option even if some graphics-centered gamers considered it a worse choice than the graphics of Gamessoft's games.

Some of the more popular titles included:
1. Virtua Fighter (1995, mostly a graphical showcase if anything, it's a 3D beat-em-up featuring three characters: Jacky, Pai and Siba travelling across the world to defeat robots that invaded the upper eschellons of the world governments sent by evil alien robot Dural)
2. Knuckles: Dream Guardian (1995, a spin-off of the Mr. Tinker games starring side character Knuckles, Guardian of Dreams, this is an RPG that has Knuckles team up with Mr. Needlemouse to rescue Mr. Tinker and members of his village from the clutches of the evil Ghostly Six. While most RPG's (like Gamessoft's Winstann RPG: Legend of the Golden Koi) were more D&D inspired (considering the huge popularity of licensed D&D campaigns), Knuckles: Dream Guardian focuses more towards action while still keeping those elements.
3. Deep Avenger (1996, developed by Filipino company Tubo and published by SEGA as a launch title, this stars a merman saving the environment by destroying naval bases. However, it also lets you attack innocent civilians and even though you were punished for it, it was one of the first morally amiguous characters in the medium.
4. 12 Classic Games (1996, developed by Capcom who were mostly known for their licensed games, this features 12 board, card, or other medium, games remade in video game form with a surprisingly in-depth story mode. One of the ported games is Bash the Badgers, being one of the many ports of that game)
5. Costume Party (1997, a multiplayer minigame party game based around clothing items to compete for the best stylist)
6. Tinker's Terrific Trilogy (1997, a collection of The Talented Mr. Tinker, The Talented Mr. Tinker 2, Mr. Tinker in the Land of Dreams, and The Talented Lady Tinker.)
7. Virtua Fighter 2 (1997, Essentially more Virtua Fighter but with some more RPG elements, a more complicated storyline and new character: Akira)
8. Sunset of Destiny (1998, an amalgamation of Western tropes, this was one of the few games to use light gun as the new Mr. Tinker game, which was mostly known for it, had no functionality for it.)
9. Mr. Tinker: Unconsious (1998, while it took some time to get a traditional Mr. Tinker game, this was seen as huge and influential one with fully explorable 3D environments and massive worlds. It even took inspiration moreso from Jungian psychology and the collective unconsiousness, with Mr. Tinker finding various myths and legends rather than just being in the dream world. While it was seen as a massive game worth the hype and went onto expand video games as a medium, some did see it's almost overly pretentious nature as a little much for a kids game. It also had RPG elements which was somewhat of a trend in Sega at the time.
10. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999, A platformer with beat em up elements developed by Capcom and released to coincide with the movie, many many people considered this a classic a lot better than the disappointing movie. Jar Jar was playable.)
11. Halo: Combat Evolved (1999, one of the last games released on the console, this was a 2D shooter that was on most consoles but more popular on the Saturn as it used a light gun (something packed in with it but more expensive for other consoles). It features protagonist Master Chief investigating a disturbance on a human colony on an alien planet known as Halo, only to discover an evil force called the Covenant living there, terrorizing humanity.)

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

The Mr. Tinker moveset of LoZ00 will be used and so will the submitted consoles as well. Here are the results of the second Gamessoft character voting
Janine the Adventurer 11
Gorilla 5
El Muerto Fuego 2
Ninbit 1
DCI Eleanor Lennox 7
Captain Rocket 10

So Janine the Adventurer will be our next character!

I also want to add just so everyone knows, you are all free to make fanart of each character or game concept and I’ll add it to the wiki. You can also have multiple pieces of fanart or fanart that takes a different interpretation of a character if someone’s already submitted a piece.

 

[Qwerty UIOP]

The Mr. Tinker moveset of LoZ00 will be used and so will the submitted consoles as well. Here are the results of the second Gamessoft character voting
Janine the Adventurer 11
Gorilla 5
El Muerto Fuego 2
Ninbit 1
DCI Eleanor Lennox 7
Captain Rocket 10

So Janine the Adventurer will be our next character!

I also want to add just so everyone knows, you are all free to make fanart of each character or game concept and I’ll add it to the wiki. You can also have multiple pieces of fanart or fanart that takes a different interpretation of a character if someone’s already submitted a piece.

I'm planning on making designs for all the playable characters

 

[KneeOfJustice99]

Spoiler: ignore this post

Okay, so I'll admit, I haven't gotten pings for this - but that's okay, I'll vote and submit now!

1. Janine the Adventurer would be a lot of fun. I can imagine an adventure series of its sort being pretty fun throughout, and it'd be nice to see how it evolves over time!
2. Captain Rocket seems like a really fun inclusion. The ability to fly around in a platformer would obviously need to be balanced, but maybe a fuel gauge or something that limits how much you can fly (a little like Mega Man 6's Jet Adapter?) would be a good way of handling that.
3. Gorilla would be a lot of fun, actually. Wildlive seems like a really fun concept for a series, and I think there's a lot of potential to see where it'll go! Plus, gorillas are pretty cool.

Ignore all of this, I got ninja'd lol

As for a console... hmm.

Console Name: Gamessoft System II
Manufacturer: Gamessoft
Release Date: 21st September, 1988

Whereas a lot of other manufactuers at the time were focused on developing newer technologies to compete with the original Gamessoft System's graphical prowess, the decision made by Gamessoft specifically was something a little different. Specifically, they wanted to continue to develop the original technology within the console whilst simultaneously innovating in a large number of small, but necessary, ways - effectively treating the original console like a prototype.

Spoiler: Hardware Improvements

Most prominently, the technology allowing for the displaying of 3D photographs on a background layer was improved somewhat, now allowing for four seperate background layers with the option for varying levels of transparency, as well as three "foreground" layers of pixellated graphics with a wider colour range and a higher pixel count than previously possible. Furthermore, these background layers had the option of being animated - though using full-screen animation would use up large amounts of memory, so it was typical for these layers to be cut into segments which would then be animated individually.

These innovations alone - effectively just iterating on the original hardware - resulted in a huge number of new possibilities, including (but not limited to) parallax scrolling, 3D image capabilities (albeit only with the pack-in glasses), and the possibility for admittedly rudimentary, but still very much possible, cell-animated sprites (given that the forced use of pixellated animation in the original hardware was one of the most consistent criticisms of it.)

That said, the Gamessoft team also took into account a large number of other criticisms made of the original console's nature. For example, the original system's middling audio capabilities were once again observed due to the recent developments in tracker software and sample use on various personal computers. This would allow both music and sound effects to be made using recorded audio samples, as well as the system having an in-built soundchip allowing for four tracks of digital audio output, similarly to the original console.

Spoiler: Release?

The Gamessoft System II would release in the UK on the 21st September, 1988 - and in the US on the 21st November, 1988 (as it would take time to take shipments of the console over there.) That said, there would be a couple of negative points at launch. Firstly, the retail price of the console at launch was a pretty hefty £300, mostly due to the amount of new technology crammed into it - and individual games would be more expensive than on the original console, as the drastic increase in memory requirements required discs with significantly more memory to be manufactured. That said, in 1990, the console's retail price would be reduced to £250 - and over time, the Gamessoft System II discs would reduce in price, due to becoming cheaper to manufacture.

In terms of what you got in the box:

• The Gamessoft System II console itself. Similarly to the original console, the design of the box wasn't a central focus when initially creating it, but it was decided that the "function over form" mentality surrounding it wouldn't work so well when the console would be ostensibly focused on creativity. As such, a last-minute decision was made to market them in a more sleekly designed two-material casing, with a pale beige underside and a dark grey topside, both made from sturdy plastic. Furthermore, the console's own buttons would be made of silvery plastic. This drastic redesign (loosely inspired by the Atari 600XL personal computer) would be partially responsible for the price increase, but would help pretty significantly in marketing.
• Two Gamessoft System II controllers. Whilst the original controller was designed primarily to be functional, the new controllers were designed to be an evolution - featuring a four-button layout on the right hand side, as well as shoulder buttons, and a D-pad on the left side with the option to screw in a joystick.
• A manual, as well as a pack-in magazine featuring many of the upcoming early releases for the console. The manual would, interestingly, instruct players not to overly jostle the console whilst playing - lest the various layers get misaligned. However, the inside of the console (when opened) would have various dials, capable of being turned so as to readjust the layers on the screen. This was mostly in response to complaints about the original console in that, when damaged or even during normal play, the various layers would become misaligned.
• A power supply, with the adaptor being applicable to the region's wall sockets in which it was purchased. The console would draw power from the mains, though would also feature...
• An internal watch battery, allowing for the system to maintain a track of the date and time. Notably, save data was capable of being written to the Gamessoft System II's discs, which was another reason they became a little more expensive.

Spoiler: Games & Peripherals

Whereas the original Gamessoft System was very much focused on being a games console, the Gamessoft System II uniquely spread its focus somewhat, presenting itself as a powerful system intended for leisure and creativity. That said, the games would still come first!

On release day, three games were released as pack-in titles. These would be:

• Winstann's Quest, a unique turn-based RPG featuring the characters of the Winstann the Gnome series. It would follow Winstann as he would be forced to protect the Light Fairies - and eventually the world - from the mysterious and powerful Jack Quintet. Winstann's Quest would primarily take inspiration from various British legends, folklore, and mythology, and would be lauded for its surprisingly vast narrative and world - as well as the ability to create a party both consisting of pre-existing Winstann characters (some of which were playable for the very first time!) as well as newcomers to the series. However, the decision to momentarily move away from the traditional platforming action of the Winstann the Gnome series would not be as popular in American markets, even though the game would become recognised over there as a cult classic in future years. Even so, it was a massive hit in British markets, though some people were anxiously awaiting the next mainline entry in the Winstann the Gnome series regardless.
  
  
• Tri-Wars, a strategy game intended to focus both on the console's graphics and its 3D capabilities. Set during a fictionalised conflict in the three fictional warring countries of Arnovia, Bengalla, and Cagliostro, it would have players commanding forces from overhead - including being responsible for managing front lines, supply chains, and other elements of battlefield strategy. Given the top-down view, the 3D capabilities were mostly used to provide a degree of depth to what the player was observing at any given time. In terms of reception, Tri-Wars was recieved pretty well in the United States, though didn't sell as well in UK markets (at least partially due to the massive success of Winstann's Quest.)
  
  
• Gamessoft Carnival Collection, an anthology game consisting of numerous remakes of some of Gamessoft's earliest titles (as well as modernised re-imaginings putting the Gamessoft System II's hardware to good use.) The collection would recieve middling reception, mostly due to the simplicity of all of the games included - though many appreciated the effort in modernising older experiences for a new audience. The six included games were:
  • High Noon, a prototypical "light-gun" game in which you play as a sheriff and need to shoot a number of bandits.
  • Moonshiner, a fairly simplistic racing game in which you need to drive down a psudeo-3D highway whilst avoiding other cars.
  • Pinkiller, another fairly simple simulator - this time of tenpin bowling, in which you need to knock down the most pins.
  • Demolition, a game in which you - controlling a paddle - need to bounce a ball to knock down various walls at the top of the screen.
  • Space Cadet, a combat flight simulator set in deep space, where you - a spaceship pilot - need to shoot down various aliens.
  • ElectrOXO, a simulation of naughts and crosses - which you can play against the computer.

Not only this, but a number of games and other software pieces would be released later on, too. These included:

• Gamessoft System II Tracker, a piece of tracker software released in 1990 that would allow you to use the Gamessoft System II as a music-production suite. This game would come packaged with the Gamessoft System II Tape Reader, which would be plugged into the Player 2 port and would allow for players to sample from cassette tapes, and then use said samples within tracker software alongside putting to use the console's four digital sound channels. Whilst Gamessoft would fall under some scrutiny from record companies shortly after release, no legal action would be taken - though the software's instructions would contain a legal notice kindly requesting that players only use samples they own or have the rights to (which most people would ignore regardless.) A surprisingly strong community of musicians would build around the console, and it'd interestingly be a prominent element of the development of future musical genres like drum-and-bass, jungle, and breakbeat. The Gamessoft System II Tape Reader would, interestingly, also be capable of playing music tracks directly through television speakers, and would be the main method of multimedia accessible in the console - being built-in to later versions.
  
  
• Insectoid, an early survival horror game released in 1992 in which you - playing as an astronaut exploring a distant planet known as AN-7 after crashing your ship into it - must evade the attacking ant-like beings that wish to consume you. There was initially a bit of controversy surrounding the release, as many thought it was a direct jab at Anthill, though the Gamessoft team attempted to dissuade these rumours. Nonetheless, they persisted over time, and it sort of became a running joke.

Spoiler: Reception & Legacy

Whilst the Gamessoft System II would be ostensibly a financial success, and would be recieved quite well overall, it would go on to raise a few concerns about Gamessoft's business model and long-term plans which would culminate in them entering purely software development in the fourth generation. The decision to market the Gamessoft System II as a "multimedia creativity platform" caused some confusion as to its actual capabilities - with some feeling a little disappointed by the fact it wasn't capable of compatibility with VHS or, later down the line, CD. That said, the games released on the console were generally decently recieved, even if some odd decisions were made there too - such as the Insectoid controversy, or the decision to launch the system with a Winstann spin-off as opposed to a mainline game.

That said, time wouldn't look kindly to the console. The complex inner working that allowed no less than seven seperate layers to coexist would degrade over time, and whilst they could be manually altered by turning the dials, they would loosen over time - resulting in small jostlings sending everything off-axis. This would make it more and more difficult to actually play it as it got older, unless you were to have it properly repaired and restored. This would result in a lasting idea of the build quality of these consoles being "shoddy", when in truth, it was mostly just overcomplicated.

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

Okay, so I'll admit, I haven't gotten pings for this - but that's okay, I'll vote and submit now!

1. Janine the Adventurer would be a lot of fun. I can imagine an adventure series of its sort being pretty fun throughout, and it'd be nice to see how it evolves over time!
2. Captain Rocket seems like a really fun inclusion. The ability to fly around in a platformer would obviously need to be balanced, but maybe a fuel gauge or something that limits how much you can fly (a little like Mega Man 6's Jet Adapter?) would be a good way of handling that.
3. Gorilla would be a lot of fun, actually. Wildlive seems like a really fun concept for a series, and I think there's a lot of potential to see where it'll go! Plus, gorillas are pretty cool.

As for a console... hmm.

Console Name: Gamessoft System II
Manufacturer: Gamessoft
Release Date: 21st September, 1988

Whereas a lot of other manufactuers at the time were focused on developing newer technologies to compete with the original Gamessoft System's graphical prowess, the decision made by Gamessoft specifically was something a little different. Specifically, they wanted to continue to develop the original technology within the console whilst simultaneously innovating in a large number of small, but necessary, ways - effectively treating the original console like a prototype.

Spoiler: Hardware Improvements

Most prominently, the technology allowing for the displaying of 3D photographs on a background layer was improved somewhat, now allowing for four seperate background layers with the option for varying levels of transparency, as well as three "foreground" layers of pixellated graphics with a wider colour range and a higher pixel count than previously possible. Furthermore, these background layers had the option of being animated - though using full-screen animation would use up large amounts of memory, so it was typical for these layers to be cut into segments which would then be animated individually.

These innovations alone - effectively just iterating on the original hardware - resulted in a huge number of new possibilities, including (but not limited to) parallax scrolling, 3D image capabilities (albeit only with the pack-in glasses), and the possibility for admittedly rudimentary, but still very much possible, cell-animated sprites (given that the forced use of pixellated animation in the original hardware was one of the most consistent criticisms of it.)

That said, the Gamessoft team also took into account a large number of other criticisms made of the original console's nature. For example, the original system's middling audio capabilities were once again observed due to the recent developments in tracker software and sample use on various personal computers. This would allow both music and sound effects to be made using recorded audio samples, as well as the system having an in-built soundchip allowing for four tracks of digital audio output, similarly to the original console.

Spoiler: Release?

The Gamessoft System II would release in the UK on the 21st September, 1988 - and in the US on the 21st November, 1988 (as it would take time to take shipments of the console over there.) That said, there would be a couple of negative points at launch. Firstly, the retail price of the console at launch was a pretty hefty £300, mostly due to the amount of new technology crammed into it - and individual games would be more expensive than on the original console, as the drastic increase in memory requirements required discs with significantly more memory to be manufactured. That said, in 1990, the console's retail price would be reduced to £250 - and over time, the Gamessoft System II discs would reduce in price, due to becoming cheaper to manufacture.

In terms of what you got in the box:

• The Gamessoft System II console itself. Similarly to the original console, the design of the box wasn't a central focus when initially creating it, but it was decided that the "function over form" mentality surrounding it wouldn't work so well when the console would be ostensibly focused on creativity. As such, a last-minute decision was made to market them in a more sleekly designed two-material casing, with a pale beige underside and a dark grey topside, both made from sturdy plastic. Furthermore, the console's own buttons would be made of silvery plastic. This drastic redesign (loosely inspired by the Atari 600XL personal computer) would be partially responsible for the price increase, but would help pretty significantly in marketing.
• Two Gamessoft System II controllers. Whilst the original controller was designed primarily to be functional, the new controllers were designed to be an evolution - featuring a four-button layout on the right hand side, as well as shoulder buttons, and a D-pad on the left side with the option to screw in a joystick.
• A manual, as well as a pack-in magazine featuring many of the upcoming early releases for the console. The manual would, interestingly, instruct players not to overly jostle the console whilst playing - lest the various layers get misaligned. However, the inside of the console (when opened) would have various dials, capable of being turned so as to readjust the layers on the screen. This was mostly in response to complaints about the original console in that, when damaged or even during normal play, the various layers would become misaligned.
• A power supply, with the adaptor being applicable to the region's wall sockets in which it was purchased. The console would draw power from the mains, though would also feature...
• An internal watch battery, allowing for the system to maintain a track of the date and time. Notably, save data was capable of being written to the Gamessoft System II's discs, which was another reason they became a little more expensive.

Spoiler: Games & Peripherals

Whereas the original Gamessoft System was very much focused on being a games console, the Gamessoft System II uniquely spread its focus somewhat, presenting itself as a powerful system intended for leisure and creativity. That said, the games would still come first!

On release day, three games were released as pack-in titles. These would be:

• Winstann's Quest, a unique turn-based RPG featuring the characters of the Winstann the Gnome series. It would follow Winstann as he would be forced to protect the Light Fairies - and eventually the world - from the mysterious and powerful Jack Quintet. Winstann's Quest would primarily take inspiration from various British legends, folklore, and mythology, and would be lauded for its surprisingly vast narrative and world - as well as the ability to create a party both consisting of pre-existing Winstann characters (some of which were playable for the very first time!) as well as newcomers to the series. However, the decision to momentarily move away from the traditional platforming action of the Winstann the Gnome series would not be as popular in American markets, even though the game would become recognised over there as a cult classic in future years. Even so, it was a massive hit in British markets, though some people were anxiously awaiting the next mainline entry in the Winstann the Gnome series regardless.
  
  
• Tri-Wars, a strategy game intended to focus both on the console's graphics and its 3D capabilities. Set during a fictionalised conflict in the three fictional warring countries of Arnovia, Bengalla, and Cagliostro, it would have players commanding forces from overhead - including being responsible for managing front lines, supply chains, and other elements of battlefield strategy. Given the top-down view, the 3D capabilities were mostly used to provide a degree of depth to what the player was observing at any given time. In terms of reception, Tri-Wars was recieved pretty well in the United States, though didn't sell as well in UK markets (at least partially due to the massive success of Winstann's Quest.)
  
  
• Gamessoft Carnival Collection, an anthology game consisting of numerous remakes of some of Gamessoft's earliest titles (as well as modernised re-imaginings putting the Gamessoft System II's hardware to good use.) The collection would recieve middling reception, mostly due to the simplicity of all of the games included - though many appreciated the effort in modernising older experiences for a new audience. The six included games were:
  • High Noon, a prototypical "light-gun" game in which you play as a sheriff and need to shoot a number of bandits.
  • Moonshiner, a fairly simplistic racing game in which you need to drive down a psudeo-3D highway whilst avoiding other cars.
  • Pinkiller, another fairly simple simulator - this time of tenpin bowling, in which you need to knock down the most pins.
  • Demolition, a game in which you - controlling a paddle - need to bounce a ball to knock down various walls at the top of the screen.
  • Space Cadet, a combat flight simulator set in deep space, where you - a spaceship pilot - need to shoot down various aliens.
  • ElectrOXO, a simulation of naughts and crosses - which you can play against the computer.

Not only this, but a number of games and other software pieces would be released later on, too. These included:

• Gamessoft System II Tracker, a piece of tracker software released in 1990 that would allow you to use the Gamessoft System II as a music-production suite. This game would come packaged with the Gamessoft System II Tape Reader, which would be plugged into the Player 2 port and would allow for players to sample from cassette tapes, and then use said samples within tracker software alongside putting to use the console's four digital sound channels. Whilst Gamessoft would fall under some scrutiny from record companies shortly after release, no legal action would be taken - though the software's instructions would contain a legal notice kindly requesting that players only use samples they own or have the rights to (which most people would ignore regardless.) A surprisingly strong community of musicians would build around the console, and it'd interestingly be a prominent element of the development of future musical genres like drum-and-bass, jungle, and breakbeat. The Gamessoft System II Tape Reader would, interestingly, also be capable of playing music tracks directly through television speakers, and would be the main method of multimedia accessible in the console - being built-in to later versions.
  
  
• a 1991 puzzle game in which
  
  
• Insectoid, an early survival horror game released in 1992 in which you - playing as an astronaut exploring a distant planet known as AN-7 after crashing your ship into it - must evade the attacking ant-like beings that wish to consume you. There was initially a bit of controversy surrounding the release, as many thought it was a direct jab at Anthill, though the Gamessoft team attempted to dissuade these rumours. Nonetheless, they persisted over time, and it sort of became a running joke.

Spoiler: Reception & Legacy

Whilst the Gamessoft System II would be ostensibly a financial success, and would be recieved quite well overall, it would go on to raise a few concerns about Gamessoft's business model and long-term plans which would culminate in them entering purely software development in the fourth generation. The decision to market the Gamessoft System II as a "multimedia creativity platform" caused some confusion as to its actual capabilities - with some feeling a little disappointed by the fact it wasn't capable of compatibility with VHS or, later down the line, CD. That said, the games released on the console were generally decently recieved, even if some odd decisions were made there too - such as the Insectoid controversy, or the decision to launch the system with a Winstann spin-off as opposed to a mainline game.

That said, time wouldn't look kindly to the console. The complex inner working that allowed no less than seven seperate layers to coexist would degrade over time, and whilst they could be manually altered by turning the dials, they would loosen over time - resulting in small jostlings sending everything off-axis. This would make it more and more difficult to actually play it as it got older, unless you were to have it properly repaired and restored. This would result in a lasting idea of the build quality of these consoles being "shoddy", when in truth, it was mostly just overcomplicated.

Unfortunately the job is already finished now

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

Job #18: Flesh Out A Game
We currently have tons of games in this universe that don’t have much information about them. So for this job you can write as much information as you’d like on as many games that don’t have their own articles on the wiki yet. Please write about their gameplay, release, and reception. Linking to relevant wiki pages would be a bit excessive here since there’s so many of them but I can provide a list of games you can write about. Please make sure it fits with what has already been established about the game.

Also feel free to do lots of games in your submission! I’ll probably leave this job open for about a week to give enough time for everything.

Spoiler

- Lies Among Us

• Baseball
• Icicle Factory
• Soup the Cat
• Soup the Cat 2
• Soup the Cat 3
• Space Harrier
• Fantasy Zone
• Unnamed Among Us sequel
• Something Among Us
• Lies Among Us
• The Talented Mr. Tinker 2
• Winstann: Attack of the Robo-Ducks
• Super Winstann RPG: Legend of the Golden Koi
• Winstann the Gnome 3: Trouble In Lost World
• Bomb-Robo Country
• Treasure of Ancienterra
• Ground of War
• Winstann’s Road Racing
• Knucklez N Toez
• Super Mechlander
• Chronicles of Mediterra IV
• Pinky’s Archipelago: A Winstann Story
• Highway Wars
• Soup the Cat ReMaster
• The Many Cases of Penny Lane
• Circus Maximus
• Button Mashers
• Olympics
• Kingdom of Unknown
• Rocket Girl
• Explorer of Atlantis
• Chip ‘N Dale Rescue Rangers
• Ghostbusters
• Virtua Fighter
• Deep Avenger
• 12 Classic Games
• Costume Party
• Tinker’s Terrific Trilogy
• Mr. Tinker in the Land of Dreams
• The Talented Lady Tinker
• Virtua Fighter 2
• Sunset of Destiny
• Mr. Tinker: Unconsious
• Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
• Halo: Combat Evolved

 

[KneeOfJustice99]

Unfortunately the job is already finished now

Oh! Sorry I'm late to the party, then - would you like me to edit it so as to vote on a console?

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

Oh! Sorry I'm late to the party, then - would you like me to edit it so as to vote on a console?

Since there were only one eligible submission for each company at the time, all three were added by default so there’s no need to vote on a console

 

[KneeOfJustice99]

Job #18: Flesh Out A Game
We currently have tons of games in this universe that don’t have much information about them. So for this job you can write as much information as you’d like on as many games that don’t have their own articles on the wiki yet. Please write about their gameplay, release, and reception. Linking to relevant wiki pages would be a bit excessive here since there’s so many of them but I can provide a list of games you can write about. Please make sure it fits with what has already been established about the game.

Also feel free to do lots of games in your submission! I’ll probably leave this job open for about a week to give enough time for everything.

Spoiler

- Lies Among Us

• Baseball
• Icicle Factory
• Soup the Cat
• Soup the Cat 2
• Soup the Cat 3
• Space Harrier
• Fantasy Zone
• Unnamed Among Us sequel
• Something Among Us
• Lies Among Us
• Super Mario Bros.
• The Talented Mr. Tinker 2
• Winstann: Attack of the Robo-Ducks
• Super Winstann RPG: Legend of the Golden Koi
• Winstann the Gnome 3: Trouble In Lost World
• Bomb-Robo Country
• Treasure of Ancienterra
• Ground of War
• Winstann’s Road Racing
• Knucklez N Toez
• Super Mechlander
• Chronicles of Mediterra IV
• Pinky’s Archipelago: A Winstann Story
• Highway Wars
• Soup the Cat ReMaster
• The Many Cases of Penny Lane
• Circus Maximus
• Button Mashers
• Olympics
• Kingdom of Unknown
• Rocket Girl
• Explorer of Atlantis
• Chip ‘N Dale Rescue Rangers
• Ghostbusters
• Virtua Fighter
• Deep Avenger
• 12 Classic Games
• Costume Party
• Tinker’s Terrific Trilogy
• Mr. Tinker in the Land of Dreams
• The Talented Lady Tinker
• Virtua Fighter 2
• Sunset of Destiny
• Mr. Tinker: Unconsious
• Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
• Halo: Combat Evolved

Spoiler: Strangers Among Us (Unnamed Among Us Sequel, 1977)

Strangers Among Us
Strangers Among Us is the 1977 sequel to the PC mystery/puzzle game A Killer Among Us, being the second game in the Among Us series. Similarly to its predecessor, Strangers Among Us is a text-only game - though eschews the original random generation of the first game in order to provide more of a rigid narrative, which can then change slightly from situation to situation (a change inspired by the board game Cluedo.) However, in terms of gameplay, the basics remain in place - the player is given a variety of hints and clues as to the identity of the killer, and must then use these clues in order to successfully figure out who they are.

Creation
Strangers Among Us was again developed by the Texan company Doss-Einhard, with Robert Doss at the helm as the game's primary scriptwriter and overall director and lead, though having support from some of the company's newer employees (namely Joanna Hudson, the game's main programmer, and Alexander Rogers, another programmer who also directly worked with Doss on the game's story and concept.)

Developed using the original A Killer Among Us as a framework, the game differed in that the scenario it took place in would always be the same, but the roles and names of various characters in the plot would change. The game was also given a greater amount of detail, allowing Detective Reid to question every NPC featured in the game and inspect various objects, as well as having access to an inventory system through which he could collect evidence. Furthermore, a continually decreasing in-game time limit was added to the game, putting more pressure on the player to successfully solve the mystery.

That said, some elements of the game would retroactively be brought under scruitiny, partially because of Doss refusing to add Hudson's and Rogers' names to the game's credits (resulting in their work on the game only being recognised retroactively.) Not only this, but the fact that the game was quite obviously inspired by Patricia Highsmith's 1950 novel Strangers on a Train (and the 1951 Hitchcock adaptation) would result in the game being questioned as to its originality, though in truth, the preset elements of the game's story were only loosely inspired by those concepts.

Story
Strangers Among Us sees Detective Reid Herring board an express, non-stop passenger train from Chicago to San Francisco for "personal business". However, when on the train in question, one of the passengers is murdered under mysterious circumstances - followed shortly thereafter by a second murder taking place. Reid is then tasked by the train's conductor to investigate the dual killings and determine who the culprit would be before the train reaches San Francisco and the culprit is able to walk free - giving him a total of 48 hours to investigate the situation.

Whilst the names, personalities, and roles of different characters will differ from playthrough to playthrough, the story will have either one of two endings. The first is a more traditional plot, in which the culprit is a single person who successfully murdered the other passenger due to a personal vendetta - and was then forced to kill the second due to them being a witness. The second, however, has two culprits - neither of which are directly connected to the person they killed, but are connected to the other. A discussion between the pair had them suggest killing each other's targets, similarly to in Strangers on a Train. However, a third ending - taking place only if Reid is unsuccessful in determining the identity of the killer/s - has him murdered under mysterious circumstances shortly after leaving the train in San Francisco. His own murder, ironically, is never solved.

Reception
Strangers Among Us was surprisingly well-recieved in spite of the minor controversy surrounding its story and premise at the time due to its similarities to Strangers on a Train, with people finding the small elements of characterisation that Detective Reid recieved to be a fascinating, albeit limited, insight into his previously enigmatic character - as well as enjoying the inherent replayability from the original game coupled with the more structured mystery setting. Not only this, but the introduction of an inventory allowing the player to pick up and store objects as evidence was seen as a valuable and exciting improvement to the Among Us series. Criticisms were made of the game's admittedly limited number of storylines, though this was offset by the surprising amount of detail offered to things like character dialogue, setting descriptions, and other elements.

The PC Video Gamer's Weekly magazine awarded Strangers Among Us an 8/10 rating, writing in their conclusion, "Strangers Among Us is an exciting view into the future of the Among Us series, which until now, has been viewed as more of a curiosity than anything else. Whilst its conceptual similarities to a certain Hitchcock film can't be ignored, we feel that it respects the source material enough not to outright copy it - and provides an interesting spin on the mystery/puzzle genre that the Among Us series effectively pioneered. Needless to say, we wait with bated breath to see Detective Reid Herring in action once more."

Spoiler: Highway Wars (1995)

Highway Wars
Highway Wars is a 3D racing/vehicular combat game released for the Turbo Gamessoft System in 1995, developed by Gamessoft as a prominent holiday title. Particularly prominent for its use of the D3 chip, allowing the game to utilise 3D polygonal graphics, Highway Wars is also notable due to the unusual nature of its origins - beginning development as a tie-in to the Australian action film series Mad Max before the licensing deal fell through.

Creation
Highway Wars was first pitched to the Gamessoft team by Jae Boulton, a Gamessoft developer who joined the team in 1986 and was involved in programming and playtesting a number of products. In early 1993, Boulton proposed to the team a tie-in game to the Mad Max film series, acting as an effective showcase of exactly what the D3 chip would be capable of. Whilst discussions and negotiations with Village Roadshow (the rights owners to the series at the time were ongoing), the development and release of Super Mechlander as well as Village's outrageous demands resulted in this original concept being scrapped. However, with the basic framework of the game already developed, it was decided that Boulton should lead a small team to have the game release as an original IP.

The game's actual gameplay is a 3D driving simulator, and has two "modes" of particular note. The first "mode" is a competitive battle between various vehicles, loosely inspired by Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, whilst the second "mode" (the game's main selling point) is an early open-world sandbox in which you, driving a vehicle, need to successfully perform various tasks that usually require vehicular combat. Unlike many games of its kind, you're required to continually upgrade your vehicle in a number of ways depending on what you can salvage from those you go up against (with things like fuel capacity, weaponry, and so forth), though you keep the vehicle you start with throughout the game.

Story
Set in an alternate 2030 (following a nuclear war which resulted in much of the Earth's surface being left near-uninhabitable), much of the human population is spread out across sparsely populated settlements and trading outposts. The trading of resources, equipment, and even people is a lucrative and important vein of this new, post-apocalyptic society. The people responsible for this are the Drivers, who are at near-constant odds with the Pirates - ragtag groups of interceptors who seek to steal supplies during transit for their own sustenance. As such, the Drivers enlist a militia known as the Enforcers in order to eliminate Pirates and ensure that deliveries are made safely and securely.

You play as a Pirate named Horizon, gifted the vehicle that once belonged to her father before his death at the hands of an Enforcer unit that attacked the Pirate town of Petroleum, torching it and leaving very few survivors. Horizon has come of age, being 15 years old, and is now tasked with intercepting and stealing from the Drivers to help support her younger siblings and her aging mother.

Reception
Whilst Highway Wars was pretty quickly compared by many to the Mad Max series (to the point that legal action was threatened by Village Roadshow), the truth of the matter was that its reception was middling at best. Many praised the innovative and impressive graphics for the era, but found that much of the game boiled down to glorified fetch quests with occasional elements of vehicular combat - which would often be praised as the best parts of the game, in spite of everything surrounding it. Highway Wars would be rated 2/5 in the Gamessoft Biweekly Magazine, with the reviewer stating, "There are elements of a really fun and iconic classic in this game, but we feel that it's at odds with what it actually wants to be. So many elements of the game's design seem directly at odds with each other, and whilst the game clearly has potential to be something special, we couldn't really recommend it to Gamessoft players."

Spoiler: Virtua Fighter (1995)

Virtua Fighter
Virtua Fighter is a 3D beat-em-up action game published by SEGA as a 1995 launch title for the SEGA Saturn, being the first game in the Virtua series. Intended as a graphical showcase for the Saturn's early 3D capabilities, as well as being prominent holiday season release, Virtua Fighter would quickly catapult the Virtua series into one of relative note - albeit not to the same echelon as the widely celebrated Mr. Tinker franchise.

Creation
Virtua Fighter was the second game to begin development for the at-the-time still experimental Saturn hardware, following preliminary work on Knuckles: Dream Guardian - being specifically designed as a graphical and visual spectacle that would differentiate itself from the ostensibly fantastical vibes of its competitor with a more grounded appearance. Uniquely, it was decided to have Virtua Fighter headed by SEGA's newly-formed American division, with minimal oversight beyond the basic requirement of "a 3D graphical showcase". Virtua Fighter would enter development under the internal project name of Project Titan, named after Saturn's largest moon, in early 1994.

Whilst Virtua Fighter would begin development as a rudimentary 2.5D one-on-one fighting game, the developers found that the game's initially very simplistic gameplay loop (described as "waiting for an opening and pressing a button") would need to be expanded in complexity. It was for this reason that it was decided to introduce 3D arenas to the game, allowing for positioning in three axis as opposed to two, and increasing the game's skill ceiling. This decision would result in the original concept of having the player fend off upwards of five combatants simultaneously being scrapped (a concept inspired by a scene in Bruce Lee's 1973 film Enter the Dragon, which would be revisited in Virtua Fighter II.) As such, the game only allowed combat against up to three opponents, rewarding timing and spacing as opposed to purely button-mashing.

Story
The year is 1999, and the world is in a state of chaos. The leaders of three of the world's most powerful countries - the United States, Saudi Arabia, and China - have unified in their declaration of support for a mysterious and enigmatic leader known only as Dural. Through seemingly random chance, an unorthodox trio of a movie star, a former race driver, and an oil sheikh wind up meeting in Dubai, and decide to use their combined abilities to remove Dural from power. This trio are Pai Chan, Jacky Bryant and Siba Khan. After raiding the Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, the Forbidden City of Beijing, and the White House in Washington D.C., the trio do battle with Dural on the roof of the White House, apparently killing her in the process. Following the reveal that the leaders were replaced with mechanical replicas, Pai, Jacky and Siba recieve international acclaim for their work, and are tasked with joining the newly-formed international Virtua Squad.

Reception
Virtua Fighter was a very positively-recieved first entry in the series, coming to be recognised for its innovative take on the fighting game genre as well as its surprisingly innovative control scheme - and, of course, the impressive visuals that used various real-world locations and cultures to really showcase the power of the SEGA Saturn. That said, the game's story would lead to significant controversy - the fact that the characters were raiding various places of residence of prominent political figures became a major talking point surrounding it, resulting in the game being outright banned in Saudi Arabia and China indefinately, and released with an official pre-boot PSA in the United States. That said, the controversy would only result in more exposure for the game on international news, resulting in it quickly becoming one of the best-selling Saturn games ever put out (a high that the rest of the series would try, in vein, to recapture.)

The British publication SEGA Fanzine would rank the game with 4.5 stars out of 5, stating, "Virtua Fighter is a long-needed breath of fresh air in the fighting game genre, effectively showing us what the future of 3D gaming could look like with the technology of today. Whilst sometimes a bit clunky, and obviously being limited by the technology of its time, Virtua Fighter really puts you in the ring."

 

[Champion of Hyrule]

I'll write some stuff of my own

Spoiler: Winstann's Road Racing (1991)

Winstann's Road Racing is a kart racer starring characters in the Winstann the Gnome franchise released in 1991 for Turbo Gamessoft System. It is a kart racing spin-off of the Winstann series noteable for very different gameplay.

The idea was conceptualized by Gamessoft employee and designer of the Turbo Gamessoft System, Morag Russel. She saw the potential for 3D gaming the system could have and so decided to make a 3D Winstann game. As running animations would be very hard for something like this, however, she decided to put the characters in go-karts instead and thus the idea of a more low stakes multiplayer game you could play with friends instead of a chaotic race for the fate of humanity was born. The items traditionally used in races through out the Winstann games also appear.

The game is mostly set in city scapes instead of gardens as Winstann and his pals race through different human locales. The plot has Winstann, Yoogi and Pinky the Flamingo meet a tribe of kart racing dwarves and join their tournament to show the power of their racing techniques. Winstann, Yoogi and Pinky are all playable but so are new characters Dirkham the Dwarf and Bettirina the Brownie who would also become characters in the main series.

The game was praised for its innovation and graphics although some didn't like the karts, thinking they "replaced" the old Winstann gameplay, and the less high stakes plot without any genocidal mafia members. Regardless it went onto inspire a lot of 3D games going forward and made Winstann's racing gameplay more common for multiplayer (Winstann had multiplayer before but it was rarely the focus.)

Spoiler: Talented Mr. Tinker 2

The Talented Mr. Tinker eeleased in 1992 for the SEGA Mega Drive, just a year after it's predecessor The Talented Mr. Tinker. It escalates the game in both gameplay and scope, having Mr. Tinker move through the Dreamscape to free the inhabitants of Egg Village from the nightmares of Mr. Needlemouse. The Talented Mr. Tinker 2 was also the first time SEGA of Philippines and SEGA of Panama worked on a game, contributing to most of it's development while the Japanese SEGA office made the ideas and managed the game.

There are a total of eight inhabitants of Egg Village plagued by nightmares, all with a distinct fear. (For example, there's a carnival themed level, a haunted mansion, dentist's office, cave, etc.) Using his invention the Dreamcaster, Mr. Tinker goes into the Dreamscape and goes through these levels to put a stop to Mr. Needlemouse using the fear of each villager to power himself to try and achieve world domination. He slowly and carefully moves through each level and the player has to control Mr. Tinker and use the light gun to blast enemies, with a Mr. Needlemouse chase sequence occuring after each level. Mr. Tinker is also aided by Knuckles, the guardian of dreams who Mr. Tinker initially rescues from Mr. Needlemouse's grasp and is explicitly stated to be the one shooting all of these fears (meaning he's technically playable at the same time as Mr. Tinker) to help him restore good dreams to everyone. Mr. Needlemouse again returns as the final boss in the last level.

The game was a smash hit, further solidifying SEGA as a massive brand and the work of it's other studios further solidifying the international nature of SEGA, popular just as much in southeast Asia as it was in Japan in this console generation. Games journalists, probably fuelled by leftover WWII paranoia even nicknamed SEGA "Japan's Second Pacific Empire."

Spoiler: Space Harrier

Space Harrier is a text adventure computer game released in 1988 by SEGA, developed by Yu Suzuki. It's relatively simple plot features Harrier attempting to traverse a dangerous part of space known as the Fantasy Zone to look for an ancient artifact thought to grant the wish of anyone who gets it. It recieved a follow up later on in the year titled Fantasy Zone.

The gameplay is extremely simple as you manage fuel while fighting enemies traversing through the Fantasy Zone and is told almost exclusively through text. The game, along with it's sequel are mostly considered unnoteable and didn't recieve too much praise despite how big SEGA would become. It's biggest claim to fame was the fact that the game was made with ridges in the cartridge preventing use on the Gamessoft System which was traditionally able to play all computer games. This was mostly because SEGA had plans to release their own console which could also play computer games, the scrapped Master System. A lawsuit was started in 1988 in a British court and it was ruled game developers were able to make their games unplayable with the Gamessoft System, prompting a lot of Silicon Valley computer manufacturers to lobby game developers into implimenting similar ridges in their own cartridges to give them a monopoly on computer games. This resulted in computer games becoming less popular as they were seperated from consoles and Gamessoft mostly abandoning computer development.

Spoiler: Halo: Combat Evolved

Halo: Combat Evolved was released in 1999 by Bungie for all systems, however, it was most successful on the SEGA Saturn due to that console being bundled with a lightgun and this game uniquely using it.

The game is a 2D side scrolling lightgun shooter inspired by the likes of the early Mr. Tinker series. However, the aim was to both tell a deeper story then that game and focus it more on the combat of the game, introducing combat encounters a lot more challenging and with more realistic enemies than that of Mr. Tinker.

The story centers around an elite soldier of the United Nations named Master Chief as he centers around mysterious attacks on a human colony on an alien planet called Halo. Here, he discovers an alien military force known as the Covenant who have made Halo their home and wants to kill all humans on their planet. As they fight and as Master Chief discovers more about Halo, he finds it was made by an ancient human space faring race known as the Forerunners which the Covenant worship. The game ends with the Covenant, seeing humans as a disgusting perversion of the Forerunners, declaring war on the entirety of Earth.

The game was very well-recieved and is now noteable for creating somewhat of a schism in gamers (a great one, perhaps). A lot of players felt it out of date as it was still in 2D while others thought it looked and played just as good as 3D games. This debate about 2D vs. 3D continued to become a huge issue for years to come among gamers.

Spoiler: Deep Avenger

Deep Avenger was developed by Filipino company Tubo, a company that works closely with SEGA of Philippines and was published by SEGA in all regions for SEGA Saturn. It centers around a merman from Atlantis named Aquanis as he destroys naval bases and fights against evil corporations polluting the environment. The concept was founded by Laurenze Tribalgo of Tubo, hoping to impress SEGA CEO Yuji Naka. In fact the concept was inspired by a (quite likely falsified) story of Yuji Naka flying across the pacific six times in one day to go between SEGA’s offices in Japan, California, Hawaii, The Philippines and Panama.

The plot centers around an evil corporation called NeoTech that has set up bases in the area around Atlantis. Due to NeoTech being backed by the US Navy, the king of Atlantis has no desire to stop the pollution of their home so Aquanis takes it into his own hands. With help of Atlantean scientist Wattshia he goes from base to base, and eventually discovers the king of Atlantis is secretly colluding with the US government. So he takes them down and is named new king of Atlantis. With no desire to rule himself he passes the title to Wattshia.

The game was extremely revolutionary for its water based polygonal graphics and physics, and has inspired a lot of more realistic landscapes in games to come. It was a smash hit in its home country but became very controversial abroad, specifically in the United States. While your cause was morally richeous, both the fact that the US are the villains and the fact that it’s possible to attack innocent civilians started discussions on content in video games. Controversies existed in video games before, especially due to light guns being so common, but not to this extent especially due to the most common games bri by pretty simple stories of good vs evil.

Spoiler: Super Winstann RPG

Super Winstann RPG: Legend of the Golden Koi was released in 1995 for Turbo Gamessoft System. It was the first RPG based on Winstann and was developed by Gamessoft Japan.

In the early 1990s D&D was becoming popular in Japan due to printing and publishing by toy company Nintendo. This led to campaigns being made of various licensed IP’s made by Nintendo, including Winstann. Super Winstann RPG: Legend of the Golden Koi is a loose adaptation of one of those campaigns without any D&D branding yet featuring plenty of hallmarks of the medium such as leveling up or customizeable characters and a separation between battles and the overworld.

The plot, which was partly inspired by Nintendo’s story in Winstann’s text adventure, centers around the Light Fairy Forces being kidnapped by the Dark Fairy Forces but when Winstann, Yoogi and Pinky go to get them back they find a bigger threat facing humanity that was secretly manipulating the Dark Fairy Forces: an evil warlock named Ganondorf who is trying to steal the six pieces of the Golden Koi which, when assembled, will grant the wish of anyone who touches it. Ganondorf plans to wish for world domination. So, Winstann, Yoogi and Pinky venture to a land called Nomu, inspired by Japanese fairytales and zen gardens, to assemble these pieces and beat Ganondorf. Along the way they meet original character Gnomotaro and he joins their party.

The game was praised for its story and graphics and the way it incorporates traditional Winstann racing elements into a D&D-like experience. It was almost universally considered better than the text adventure. It went into inspire SEGA’s RPG game Knuckles: Dream Guardian, which ended up making RPG elements very common in SEGA’s future games.