Caltron
Encyclopedia
Caltron 6 in 1 is a multicart
published in for the Nintendo Entertainment System
in North America
, and the only game known to be released by Caltron, a Taiwan
-based video game company. In Australia, it was published under the title Real Players Pack by Home Entertainment Suppliers
(HES). This version is regarded by collectors as the rarest HES game; on the 22nd January an auction of eBay
had 2 bids up to US $2850. Dynacom released the cartridge as Multi Acao 6-in-1 for the Brazilian market.
6–in–1, as its title suggests, consists of six different games of various genres. The games included, which are mostly clones of other popular video games of the era, are Cosmos Cop, Adam and Eve, Magic Carpet 1001, Balloon Monster, Porter, and Bookyman. These games were all previously released separately in Famicom format by NTDEC
.
The compilation has received poor reviews, with one reviewer claiming that all six games on the multicart are "uniformly awful [and] barely first-generation NES quality," even though they are more playable and are of "much higher quality" than other unlicensed video game compilations, specifically citing Active Enterprises
' Action 52
as the comparative example.
Myriad's only change to Caltron's product was to replace the label with their own. In fact, you can see the edges of the Caltron label visible at the edges, as the Myriad label is slightly too small to cover it. No programming changes were done, hence the game is exactly the same. To this point, the title screen still reads "Caltron." The six games on the cart are identical to Caltron's release.
Shortly after the release of 6-in-1, Myriad went out of business for unknown reasons. The game has become one of the rarest unlicensed games made for the NES. Collectors speculate that fewer than 100 copies of this game still exist, and even fewer are complete. The most valuable copies of the game are those with box, instructions, and the cartridge with matching serial numbers. The lowest known serial number is 000032 and the highest is 000888. At least two sealed versions are known to exist.
Multicart
In video game parlance, a multicart is a cartridge that contains more than one game. Typically, the separate games are available individually for purchase or were previously available individually . For this reason, collections, anthologies, and compilations are considered multicarts...
published in for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, and the only game known to be released by Caltron, a Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
-based video game company. In Australia, it was published under the title Real Players Pack by Home Entertainment Suppliers
Home Entertainment Suppliers
Home Entertainment Suppliers Pty. Ltd. is an Australian company that distributes computer games and gaming equipment. HES offices are based in Riverwood, Sydney....
(HES). This version is regarded by collectors as the rarest HES game; on the 22nd January an auction of eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
had 2 bids up to US $2850. Dynacom released the cartridge as Multi Acao 6-in-1 for the Brazilian market.
6–in–1, as its title suggests, consists of six different games of various genres. The games included, which are mostly clones of other popular video games of the era, are Cosmos Cop, Adam and Eve, Magic Carpet 1001, Balloon Monster, Porter, and Bookyman. These games were all previously released separately in Famicom format by NTDEC
NTDEC
NTDEC was a Taiwanese manufacturer of video game cartridges and accessories for the NES and Famicom. They also manufactured Famicom to NES converters to play Famicom games on the NES.-Piracy:...
.
The compilation has received poor reviews, with one reviewer claiming that all six games on the multicart are "uniformly awful [and] barely first-generation NES quality," even though they are more playable and are of "much higher quality" than other unlicensed video game compilations, specifically citing Active Enterprises
Active Enterprises
Active Enterprises Ltd. is a defunct American video game developer headquartered in Miami, Florida that was active in the early 1990s. Their best known game, and the only title officially released by the company, was the infamous Action 52 multicart for the NES and Sega Genesis video game...
' Action 52
Action 52
Action 52 is an unlicensed multicart consisting of 52 individual and original video games, released in September 1991 for the Nintendo Entertainment System and in May 1993 for the Sega Genesis consoles by Active Enterprises...
as the comparative example.
Games
The six games on Caltron 6–in–1 are:- Cosmos Cop is a pseudo-3D3D computer graphics3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
into-the-screen shoot 'em upShoot 'em upShoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
that is similar to SegaSega, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
's Space HarrierSpace Harrieris a third-person rail shooter game, released by Sega in 1985. It was produced by Yu Suzuki, responsible for many popular Sega games. It spawned several sequels: Space Harrier 3-D , Space Harrier II , and the spin-off Planet Harriers ....
. However, the game experiences a lot of image–breakup on the screen due to the NES's limited capability of handling first–person scaling. - Magic Carpet 1001 is a horizontal scrolling shooter that was later released on pirate cartridges as Aladdin III and with some graphical and sound modifications as Super Harry Potter. The game has been criticized for its steep difficulty curve. It is the only game on the cartridge that is not an obvious clone of another popular title.
- Balloon Monster is a clone of MitchellMitchell CorporationMitchell Corporation is a Japanese video game developer based in the Suginami ward of Tokyo. Roy Ozaki serves as president, and Koichi Niida serves as vice-president. The company was originally established on February 1, 1960 as an import/export business by the father of Roy Ozaki...
's PangPang-People:*Includes name origin of the alternate romanization of Peng*Pang Juan , military general from the Warring States Period*Pang Tong , strategist and advisor from the late Han Dynasty*Pang Wanchun , fictional character from Water Margin...
and the North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n equivalent Buster BrosBuster BrosBuster Bros, also called and , is a cooperative two-player arcade video game released in 1989 by Capcom. The Buster brothers must finish a round-the-world quest to destroy bouncing balloons that are terrorizing several of Earth’s landmarks and cities. The fight to save the Earth begins on Mt...
. - Adam and Eve is a single-screen platform gamePlatform gameA platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
similar to NintendoNintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Balloon FightBalloon Fightis a 1984 video game developed by Nintendo. The arcade version was released in 1984 and the Nintendo Entertainment System version was released in 1986. The gameplay is similar to the arcade game Joust by Williams Electronics.-Gameplay:...
(itself based on Williams' Joust) in which the player has to kill snakes by bursting the balloons attached to their heads. This game also received criticism in that the game — despite its title — had very little relevance to the biblical story of Adam and EveAdam and EveAdam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews...
. - Porter is a puzzle game similar to Thinking RabbitThinking RabbitThinking Rabbit was a software house based in Takarazuka, Japan, and are the original publishers of Sokoban. The company joined the Disk Original Group in 1986.-External links:...
's SokobanSokobanis a type of transport puzzle, in which the player pushes boxes or crates around in a warehouse, trying to get them to storage locations. The puzzle is usually implemented as a video game....
and BoxxleBoxxleBoxxle is a puzzle video game for the original Game Boy released by Fujisankei Communications International. The game is a Sokoban clone, with the plot being that the player must manoeuvre boxes in a warehouse in order to make enough money to woo his desired girlfriend. It had a sequel called...
where the player has to move boxes into specifically–marked places. This game is criticized for its awkward controls; boxes can only be moved while holding down the A button, and if the B button is accidentally pressed, the level automatically restarts without any warning to the player. - Bookyman is a direct clone of Williams' Make TraxMake TraxMake Trax, known in Japan as is a arcade game originally developed by Alpha Denshi and published by Kural Samno in Japan. It was later licensed for North American release to Williams and in Europe to Karateco and Exidy.-Gameplay:...
and KuralKuralThe Kural is one of the most important forms of classical Tamil poetry. It is a very short poetic form, exactly in 2 lines, the first line consisting of 4 words and the second line consisting of 3. It should also conform to the grammar for Venpa...
's arcade game Crush Roller. This game has been considered an inferior clone of their arcade counterparts.
Myriad version
When Caltron Industries, Inc. was going out of business, Myriad Games, Inc., a company based in Kingwood, Texas, bought all of their existing inventory of cartridges. Myriad then took the carts and added a very generic (no graphic art) label. They were then packaged in custom boxes with a folded manual. Each Myriad cart and box were numbered individually.Myriad's only change to Caltron's product was to replace the label with their own. In fact, you can see the edges of the Caltron label visible at the edges, as the Myriad label is slightly too small to cover it. No programming changes were done, hence the game is exactly the same. To this point, the title screen still reads "Caltron." The six games on the cart are identical to Caltron's release.
Shortly after the release of 6-in-1, Myriad went out of business for unknown reasons. The game has become one of the rarest unlicensed games made for the NES. Collectors speculate that fewer than 100 copies of this game still exist, and even fewer are complete. The most valuable copies of the game are those with box, instructions, and the cartridge with matching serial numbers. The lowest known serial number is 000032 and the highest is 000888. At least two sealed versions are known to exist.