|
Ballz
''Ballz'' is a two-player 2.5D action fighting video game for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, the Super NES (SNES) and the 3DO. It was developed by PF Magic and published by Accolade in 1994. The 3DO version was released as a director's cut in 1995. ''Ballz'' offered three difficulty levels over a total of 21 matches. Its distinguishing quality was that each of the characters were composed completely of spheres, granting a pseudo-3D look. Although the game was not a tremendous success, PF Magic reused its graphics technology in a successful line of virtual pet titles, '' Petz'', '' Dogz'', ''Catz'' and ''Oddballz''. Development and publishing The idea to use spheres to represent characters in the game was proposed by Keith Kirby, the team decided on implementing the idea as it would save processor power, as well as the fact that characters would look the same regardless of the angle the camera is situated at when they are constructed from spheres, which are also relatively quit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oddballz
PF Magic was a video game developer founded in 1991 and located in San Francisco, California, United States. Though it developed other types of video games, it was best known for its virtual pet games, such as '' Dogz'' and ''Catz''. The company was able to make extra revenue by selling plush toys under the Petz trademark. It was bought out in 1998 by Mindscape, Inc. After changing hands a few more times, Ubisoft now owns the copyright on its ''Petz'', '' Oddballz'' and ''Babyz'' titles. One of PF Magic's earliest efforts was the 1994 video game '' Ballz'', published by Accolade. The innovative game featured main characters composed completely of spheres. This early game failed in the marketplace, though it would inspire many of their following games, such as ''Petz''. The company also produced ''Max Magic'', the world’s first electronic magic kit, which represented a breakthrough in interactive 3D character design. PF Magic's designer and programmer, Andrew Stern, created an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
PF Magic
PF Magic was a video game developer founded in 1991 and located in San Francisco, California, United States. Though it developed other types of video games, it was best known for its virtual pet games, such as '' Dogz'' and '' Catz''. The company was able to make extra revenue by selling plush toys under the Petz trademark. It was bought out in 1998 by Mindscape, Inc. After changing hands a few more times, Ubisoft now owns the copyright on its '' Petz'', ''Oddballz'' and ''Babyz'' titles. One of PF Magic's earliest efforts was the 1994 video game ''Ballz'', published by Accolade. The innovative game featured main characters composed completely of spheres. This early game failed in the marketplace, though it would inspire many of their following games, such as ''Petz''. The company also produced ''Max Magic'', the world’s first electronic magic kit, which represented a breakthrough in interactive 3D character design. PF Magic's designer and programmer, Andrew Stern, creat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Petz
''Petz'' (''Dogz'' and ''Catz'') is a series of single-player video games dating back to 1995, in which the player can adopt, raise, care for and breed their own virtual pets. The original ''Petz'' has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide and the brand has grown to over 22 million copies since coming under Ubisoft. The original Petz games were developed by P.F. Magic. After earning revenues of $8 million in 1997, P.F. Magic was acquired by The Learning Company for $15.8 million in 1998. In 2001, Ubi Soft (since 2003 Ubisoft) acquired the entertainment division of The Learning Company, granting Ubisoft exclusive publishing rights to 88 titles, including Dogz and Catz. After Ubisoft acquired the series, some games that were actually Japanese in origin were localized under the Petz name. For example, ''Petz: Hamsterz Life 2'' on Game Boy Advance is a localization of ''Hamster Club 3'', and distinctly different from its DS counterpart, although both DS Hamsterz games were also Ja ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fighting Game
A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as blocking, grappling, counter-attacking, and chaining attacks together into " combos". Characters generally engage in battle using hand-to-hand combat—often some form of martial arts. The fighting game genre is related to, but distinct from, the beat 'em up genre, which pits large numbers of computer-controlled enemies against one or more player characters. Battles in fighting games usually take place in a fixed-size arena along a two-dimensional plane, to which the characters' movement is restricted. Characters can navigate this plane horizontally by walking or dashing, and vertically by jumping. Some games, such as ''Tekken'', also allow limited movement in 3D space. The first video game to feature fist fighting was '' Heavyweight Champ'' in 1976, but it was '' Karate Champ'' that populariz ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sumo
is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a '' rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring ('' dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by throwing, shoving or pushing him down). Sumo originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally and where it is considered the national sport. It is considered a '' gendai budō'', which refers to modern Japanese martial arts, but the sport has a history spanning many centuries. Many ancient traditions have been preserved in sumo, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt purification, from Shinto. Life as a wrestler is highly regimented, with rules regulated by the Japan Sumo Association. Most sumo wrestlers are required to live in communal sumo training stables, known in Japanese as '' heya'', where all aspects of their daily lives—from meals to their manner of dress— ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
GamePro
Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally launched as an American online and print content video game magazine. The magazine featured content on various video game consoles, PC computers and mobile devices. GamePro Media properties included ''GamePro'' magazine and their website. The company was also a part subsidiary of the privately held International Data Group (IDG), a media, events and research technology group. The magazine and its parent publication printing the magazine went defunct in 2011, but is outlasted by Gamepro.com. Originally published in 1989, ''GamePro'' magazine provided feature articles, news, previews and reviews on various video games, video game hardware and the entertainment video game industry. The magazine was published monthly (most recently from its hea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
International Data Group
International Data Group (IDG, Inc.) is a market intelligence and demand generation company focused on the technology industry. IDG, Inc.’s mission is centered around supporting the technology industry through research, data, marketing technology, and insights that help create and sustain relationships between businesses. IDG, Inc. is wholly owned by Blackstone and is led by Mohamad Ali, who was appointed CEO of the company in 2019. Ali serves on IDG, Inc.’s leadership team along with IDC President Crawford Del Prete, IDG, Inc.’s Chief Financial Officer Donna Marr, and Foundry President Kumaran Ramanathan. IDG, Inc. is headquartered in Needham, MA and is parent company to both International Data Corporation (IDC) and Foundry (formerly IDG Communications). History International Data Group was initially founded as International Data Corporate (IDC) in 1964 by Patrick Joseph McGovern, shortly after he had graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Bas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nintendo
is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade playing cards. After venturing into various lines of business during the 1960s and acquiring a legal status as a public company, Nintendo distributed its first console, the Color TV-Game, in 1977. It gained international recognition with the release of ''Donkey Kong'' in 1981 and the Nintendo Entertainment System and ''Super Mario Bros.'' in 1985. Since then, Nintendo has produced some of the most successful consoles in the video game industry, such as the Game Boy, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Nintendo DS, the Wii, and the Switch. It has created numerous major franchises, including ''Mario'', ''Donkey Kong'', ''The Legend of Zelda'', ''Pokémon'', ''Kirby'', ''Metroid'', ''Fire Emblem'', ''Animal Crossing'', ''Splatoon'', ''Star Fox'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clown
A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms. History The most ancient clowns have been found in the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt, around 2400 BC. Unlike court jesters, clowns have traditionally served a socio-religious and psychological role, and traditionally the roles of priest and clown have been held by the same persons. Peter Berger writes, "It seems plausible that folly and fools, like religion and magic, meet some deeply rooted needs in human society." For this reason, clowning is often considered an important part of training as a physical performance discipline, partly because tricky subject matter can be dealt with, but also because it requires a high level of risk and play in the performer. In anthropology, the term ''clown'' has been extended to comparable jester or fool characters in non-Western cultures. A society in which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ostrich
Ostriches are large flightless birds of the genus ''Struthio'' in the order Struthioniformes, part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, and kiwis. There are two living species of ostrich: the common ostrich, native to large areas of sub-Saharan Africa and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa. The common ostrich was also historically native to the Arabian Peninsula, and ostriches were present across Asia as far east as Mongolia during the Late Pleistocene and possibly into the Holocene. They lay the largest eggs of any living land animal. With the ability to run at 70 km/h (43.5 mph), they are the fastest birds on land. They are farmed worldwide, particularly for their feathers as they are used as decoration and feather dusters. Their skin is also used for leather products. They are the heaviest living birds. Taxonomic history The genus ''Struthio'' was first des ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rikishi
A , or, more colloquially, , is a professional sumo wrestler. follow and live by the centuries-old rules of the sumo profession, with most coming from Japan, the only country where sumo is practiced professionally. Participation in official tournaments () is the only means of marking achievement in sumo, with the rank of an individual based solely on official wins. The number of active peaked at 943 in May 1994, at the height of the " Waka- Taka boom," but had declined to 665 by January 2022. Terminology In popular use, the term can mean any sumo wrestler and be an alternative term to (sumo practitioner) or the more colloquial . The two kanji characters that make up the word are "strength/power" and "gentleman/samurai"; consequently, and more idiomatically, the term can be defined as "a gentleman of strength". Within the world of professional sumo, is used as a catch-all term for wrestlers who are in the lower, un-salaried divisions of , , and . The more prestigio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caveman
The caveman is a stock character representative of primitive humans in the Paleolithic. The popularization of the type dates to the early 20th century, when Neanderthals were influentially described as " simian" or " ape-like" by Marcellin Boule and Arthur Keith. The term "caveman" has its taxonomic equivalent in the now-obsolete binomial classification of ''Homo troglodytes'' (Linnaeus, 1758). Characteristics Cavemen are typically portrayed as wearing shaggy animal hides, and capable of cave painting like behaviorally modern humans of the last glacial period. They are often shown armed with rocks, cattle bone clubs, spears, or sticks with rocks tied to them, and are portrayed as unintelligent, easily frightened, and aggressive. Popular culture also frequently represents cavemen as living with, or alongside, dinosaurs, even though non-avian dinosaurs became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period, 66 million years before the emergence of the ''Homo sapiens'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
