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Romstar
Romstar Inc. was a video game distribution company based in Torrance, California that started operations in 1984. They originally started as the first American distribution arm for SNK (before SNK of America was founded in 1987). They were known for licensing arcade games from major makers for distribution. Among Romstar's clients include Taito, Capcom, SNK, Toaplan, and Seta. They also made games for the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Game Boy. The ultimate fate of the company is not known. Games continued to be released using the Romstar name until at least 1994 (Goofy Hoops). It is also partnered with Capcom in 1993 to form Game Star (a.k.a. GameStar Inc.), an electromechanical factory in Arlington Heights, Illinois that Romstar had a 30% stake in. In 1995, Capcom would later fully take over Game Star to form Capcom Coin-Op, a pinball manufacturer. The key personnel of Romstar, Takahito Yasuki, Ron Czerny, and Darryl Williams, later ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toaplan
was a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo responsible for the creation of a wide array of scrolling shooters and other arcade games. The company was founded in 1979 but its gaming division was established in 1984 by former Orca and Crux employees, who wanted to make games, after both companies declared bankruptcy. Their first shoot 'em up game, ''Tiger-Heli'' (1985) on arcades, was a success and helped establish Toaplan as a leading producer of shooting games throughout the 1980s and 1990s that would continue to characterize their output. Though initially exclusive to arcades, they expanded with the Sega Genesis in 1990. The company ceased development of shoot 'em up projects before declaring bankruptcy in 1994. Several offshoot developers such as Tamsoft, Eighting, CAVE, Gazelle, and Takumi Corporation were formed prior to and after the closure, while former members later joined to other studios such as Namco, Capcom, Square Enix and Taito. Toaplan has since earne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tiger Heli
is a vertically scrolling shooter game developed by Toaplan and released for arcades in 1985. It was published in Japan by Taito and in North America by Romstar. Controlling the titular attack helicopter, the player must fight endless waves of military vehicles while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. The Tiger-Heli has a powerful bomb at its disposal that can clear the screen of enemies when fired. It was the first shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their third video game overall. ''Tiger-Heli'' was the creation of video game composers Masahiro Yuge and Tatsuya Uemura, who had previously worked on several titles for Japanese companies Orca and Crux before both of them declared bankruptcy. The development team drew inspiration from the arcade game '' Gyrodine''. The team wanted to create a scrolling shooter that balanced between being entertaining and fun, and to have players keep wanting to play it after dying. The staff chose a helicopter as the p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bubble Bobble
is a 1986 platform arcade game developed and published by Taito. It was distributed in the United States by Romstar, and in Europe by Electrocoin. Players control Bub and Bob, two dragons that set out to save their girlfriends from a world known as the Cave of Monsters. In each level, Bub and Bob must defeat each enemy present by trapping them in bubbles and popping, who turn into bonus items when they hit the ground. There are 100 levels total, each becoming progressively more difficult. ''Bubble Bobble'' was designed by Fukio "MTJ" Mitsuji. When he joined Taito in 1986, he felt that Taito's game output was of mediocre quality. In response, he decided to make a game that was fun to play and could rejuvenate the company's presence in the industry. Mitsuji hoped his game would appeal to women, specifically couples that visited arcades. As such, he decided to make ''Bubble Bobble'' focus largely on its two player co-operative mode. He made bubbles the core mechanic as he thought th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Twin Cobra
''Twin Cobra'', known as in Japan, is a vertically scrolling shooter developed by Toaplan and released for arcades in 1987 by Taito in Japan and Europe, then in North America by Romstar. It is a sequel to the 1985 arcade game ''Tiger-Heli''. Controlling the titular attack helicopter, the players must fight endless waves of military vehicles while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. It was the fourth shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their tenth video game overall. It was ported to multiple platforms, with each done by different third-party developers that made several changes or additions. ''Twin Cobra'' was a success for Toaplan, garnering positive reception from western critics and earning several awards from ''Gamest''. The game was met with mixed response from magazines, specifically the home versions. In 1995, the sequel '' Twin Cobra II'' was released. The rights to the game are owned by Tatsujin, a Japanese company formed by Masahiro Yu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sky Shark
''Flying Shark'', known as ''Sky Shark'' in North America, is a 1987 in video gaming, 1987 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published by Taito in Japan, Romstar in North America and Electrocoin in Europe. Controlling the titular biplane, the players must fight endless waves of military vehicles while avoiding collision with their projectiles and other obstacles. The plane has a powerful bomb at its disposal that can clear the screen of enemies when fired. It was the third shoot 'em up game from Toaplan, and their eighth video game overall. ''Flying Shark'' was ported to multiple systems, each version created by different third-party developers. The game proved to be a success for Toaplan among players in Japanese arcades and garnered mostly positive reception from western critics, however the game was met with mixed response from magazines, specifically the home Video game conversion, conversions. In 1989 in video gaming, 1989, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arkanoid
is a 1986 block breaker arcade game developed and published by Taito. In North America, it was published by Romstar. Controlling a paddle-like craft known as the Vaus, the player is tasked with clearing a formation of colorful blocks by deflecting a ball towards it without letting the ball leave the bottom edge of the playfield. Some blocks contain power-ups that have various effects, such as increasing the length of the Vaus, creating several additional balls, or turning the Vaus into a laser cannon. Other blocks may be indestructible or require multiple hits to break. Created by Taito designers Akira Fujita and Hiroshi Tsujino, ''Arkanoid'' expanded on the concept established in Atari's '' Breakout'', a successful game in its own right that was met with a large wave of similar clone games from other manufacturers. It was part of a contest within Taito, where two teams of designers had to complete a block breaker game and determine which one was superior to the other. The f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Twin Eagle
''Twin Eagle: Revenge Joe's Brother'' is a vertically scrolling shooter arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ... which was published in 1988. It was developed by SETA Corporation and licensed to Taito. It was one of the first arcade to use extensive digital sampling, from digitized photos to a digitized soundtrack. Controlling a helicopter, the player shoots aircraft and other attackers to earn points. If certain buildings are destroyed, hostages are found and extra points are received for saving them. A NES port was published a year later by Romstar. ''Twin Eagle'' was followed up by a sequel in 1994, ''Twin Eagle II: The Rescue Mission'', also by SETA. Reception In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Twin Eagle'' on their May 15, 1988 issue as being the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Capcom Coin-Op
Capcom Coin-Op was a pinball manufacturer, a wholly owned subsidiary of Capcom USA, which was founded in June 1995 and closed in December 1996. It developed and sold pinball and arcade game machines and converted games for the US market. Based in Sunnyvale, California and Arlington Heights, Illinois, the company developed eight pinball machines over the course of its short existence, though only four ever made it to release. Formation The beginnings of Capcom Coin-Op start in 1993. Capcom of Japan and Capcom USA joined with Romstar to form Game Star (a.k.a. GameStar Inc.). Capcom of Japan and Capcom USA staked the company at 60% and 10%, respectively, with Romstar providing the remaining 30%. A factory was set up in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Capcom wanted to recruit top talent for their new subsidiary so they went about headhunting experienced personnel. Mark Ritchie and Python Anghelo were two notable acquisitions, both poached from competitor Williams Electronics. This result ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rally Bike
''Rally Bike'' is a racing arcade video game originally developed by Toaplan and published by Taito in May 1988.Translationby Shmuplations. ). In ''Rally Bike'', players compete against computer-controlled opponents in races across locations in the United States. Initially released in arcades, the game was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System and X68000 by different developers. ''Rally Bike'' was met with mixed reception from video game magazines and dedicated outlets that reviewed the game when it launched in arcades and its ports. As of 2019, the rights to the title is owned by Tatsujin, a company founded in 2017 by former Toaplan member Masahiro Yuge and now-affiliate of Japanese arcade manufacturer exA-Arcadia alongside many other Toaplan IPs. Gameplay ''Rally Bike'' is a top-down motorcycle road racing game where players observe from above and races across six increasingly difficult stages, along with two bonus stages, taking place in North America with the mai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Full Throttle (arcade Game)
''Full Throttle'', also known as ''Top Speed'', is a one-player racing arcade game developed by Taito in 1987. It is very similar in style to the ''Out Run'' games in that it features a fast, red car hurtling through the US countryside. The key difference in gameplay is the addition of a nitro boost button. The game was released under the title ''Full Throttle'' in Japan, ''Top Speed'' in North America, and both ''Full Throttle'' and ''Top Speed'' in Europe. Trivia *The car featured is a red Mazda RX-7 for right-hand driving countries. *Director Hiroyuki Sakou went on to create Taito's '' Operation Thunderbolt'' a year later. *This game was the forerunner of the Taito Z system on which Taito's driving games were based from 1988–91. *Some of the billboards in ''Full Throttle''/''Top Speed'' are plugs for other Taito games such as ''Operation Wolf'' and ''Plump Pop''. *One of the billboards in ''Full Throttle''/''Top Speed'' features two detectives who are obvious references ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SNK Playmore
is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 by Eikichi Kawasaki. The corporation was initially named . In 1981, the name was informally shortened to SNK Corporation, which became the company's official name in 1986. SNK is known for its creation of the Neo Geo family of arcade, home, and handheld game consoles in 1990. The Neo Geo line was halted in 2001 because financial troubles forced SNK Corporation to close in the same year. Anticipating the end of the company, Kawasaki founded Playmore Corporation in 2001, which acquired all of the intellectual property of the first iteration of SNK Corporation. In 2003, Playmore Corporation was renamed to SNK Playmore Corporation. In 2016, SNK dropped the name Playmore from its logo and reintroduced its old slogan, "The Future Is Now", offic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aqua Jack
''Aqua Jack'' (also released as ''Aquattack'') is a 3D shoot 'em up arcade video game released by Taito in 1989. A hovercraft is piloted over water and land while dodging bullet A bullet is a kinetic projectile, a component of firearm ammunition that is shot from a gun barrel. Bullets are made of a variety of materials, such as copper, lead, steel, polymer, rubber and even wax. Bullets are made in various shapes and ...s and avoiding objects by shooting or jumping over them. Enemies are shot in the air and on water or land to advance levels. The game has eight levels. Reception In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Aqua Jack'' on their October 15, 1989 issue as being the fourteenth most-successful upright/cockpit arcade unit of the month. References External links *1989 magazine review 1989 video games Arcade video games Arcade-only video games Naval video games Romstar games Shoot 'em ups Taito arcade games Taito Z System games Video games developed in Japan [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
