Retro Game Challenge
Encyclopedia
Retro Game Challenge, known in Japan
as , is a Nintendo DS
game developed by indieszero
and published by Namco Bandai Games
. It is based on the television series Retro Game Master
(known in Japan as Game Center CX). Shinya Arino himself gave much input into the game creation process. The game was released on November 15, 2007 in Japan, and in North America from Xseed Games
on February 10, 2009. The game received a score of 33/40 from Famitsu
. On February 26, 2009, a sequel, Game Center CX 2, was released in Japan. Despite good initial sales, Ken Berry of Xseed has said that the North American release of the sequel is pretty unlikely, due to lackluster sales after its initial release.
) to complete for each game.
Each game is original, but with graphic, sound and game-play elements which make it look old, or retro. Many of them are similar in both gameplay and appearance to real Famicom
games of those years. They come with fully illustrated manuals.
Occasionally there will be a fake gaming magazine, Game Fan Magazine, that has articles about the games, rankings (with other fictional games named), and "game advice" from GameCenter CX ADs who have appeared over the seasons of the TV show, or, in the case of the North American version, real game journalists under pseudonyms.
Some parts of the various games are inspired by actual challenges that Arino has faced in his TV episodes. For example, the bonus character in the second half of stage 1 of "Star Prince" is taken from his attempt to get bonus points from playing Star Force
in season 1. The various "special" continue tricks (like in Haggle Man) are from his attempts to play Mighty Bomb Jack
and The Wing of Madoola
as they too have secret continue tricks. Even the ending to the game pulls a trick from
Takeshi no Chōsenjō from season 1.
, discouraging them from also localizing the sequel. Director of Publishing Ken Berry
stated that sales were initially strong, but died down.
-styled games reminiscent of actual games released in the late 1980s through mid-1990s. However, this game also features games styled after Super NES
, Game Boy
, Game Boy Color
, and Famicom Disk System
games, as well as variants on games included in Retro Game Challenge and a "game trainer" modeled after a Game & Watch
. All together, this title has 15 games in one. It was released on February 26, 2009 in Japan. Despite its predecessor's initial good sales in North America, Xseed Games
has stated that US release of the game is pretty unlikely, due to the gaming community not catching enough attention.
President Jun Iwasaki, the Director of Publishing Ken Berry
stated that an English localization of Game Center CX: Arino's Challenge 2 was unlikely, due to low sales numbers. Iwasaki stated that he was glad that they were able to localize the first title, but was disappointed with the sales. Iwasaki added that if the first title received a dramatic increase in sales, giving 100,000 as a target, they may consider localizing the sequel.
The magazine "Game Informer" put it on their list of the best games of 2009.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as , is a Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
game developed by indieszero
Indieszero
is a video game production company headquartered in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. It was founded on April 14, 1997, and has developed video games for other video game companies, including Nintendo and Namco Bandai Games.-Notable works:* Sutte Hakkun...
and published by Namco Bandai Games
Namco Bandai Games
is an arcade, mobile and home video game developer and publisher based in Japan which is the product of a merger between the video game development divisions of Bandai and Namco. Namco Bandai Games is a wholly owned subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings and specializes in production and sales of...
. It is based on the television series Retro Game Master
Retro Game Master
Retro Game Master, known in Japan as , is a Japanese television series where Shinya Arino, a member of comedy duo Yoiko, plays Japan's most popular video games and records his progress as he works through a time limit, usually lasting up to one day...
(known in Japan as Game Center CX). Shinya Arino himself gave much input into the game creation process. The game was released on November 15, 2007 in Japan, and in North America from Xseed Games
XSEED Games
XSEED redirects here. For the proposed supertall structure see X-Seed 4000.Xseed Games is a video game publisher and distributor founded by former members of Square Enix USA. Their goal is to bring high-quality interactive entertainment to the North American market...
on February 10, 2009. The game received a score of 33/40 from Famitsu
Famitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
. On February 26, 2009, a sequel, Game Center CX 2, was released in Japan. Despite good initial sales, Ken Berry of Xseed has said that the North American release of the sequel is pretty unlikely, due to lackluster sales after its initial release.
Basic Gameplay
In the game the player selects a boy or girl playing retro games to appease the Demon Arino (based on the TV show's host Shinya Arino). The Demon Arino gives four challenges (similar to the achievements or trophies of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
) to complete for each game.
Each game is original, but with graphic, sound and game-play elements which make it look old, or retro. Many of them are similar in both gameplay and appearance to real Famicom
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...
games of those years. They come with fully illustrated manuals.
Occasionally there will be a fake gaming magazine, Game Fan Magazine, that has articles about the games, rankings (with other fictional games named), and "game advice" from GameCenter CX ADs who have appeared over the seasons of the TV show, or, in the case of the North American version, real game journalists under pseudonyms.
Some parts of the various games are inspired by actual challenges that Arino has faced in his TV episodes. For example, the bonus character in the second half of stage 1 of "Star Prince" is taken from his attempt to get bonus points from playing Star Force
Star Force
is a vertical shoot 'em up arcade video game made in 1984 by Tehkan . In Japan, it is considered to be a monumental work among shooting games...
in season 1. The various "special" continue tricks (like in Haggle Man) are from his attempts to play Mighty Bomb Jack
Mighty Bomb Jack
is a 1986 arcade game that was later released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987 by Tecmo, and later for the Amiga, Atari ST and Commodore 64. The NES version was released on the Wii Virtual Console on May 7, 2007...
and The Wing of Madoola
The Wing of Madoola
is a video game title developed and published by SunSoft for the Nintendo Famicom. It was released only in Japan on December 18, 1986. It was also rereleased for the two-in-one PlayStation game, Memorial Series SunSoft Vol. 3, which also has Tōkaidō Gojūsan-tsugi, another SunSoft game. The Wing of...
as they too have secret continue tricks. Even the ending to the game pulls a trick from
Takeshi no Chōsenjō from season 1.
Video games
The games presented are fictional games made specifically for GameCenter CX, although they are given fictional dates of release.- Cosmic Gate
- Robot Ninja Haggle Man
- Rally King
- Star Prince
- Robot Ninja Haggle Man 2
- Rally King SP
- Guadia Quest
- Robot Ninja Haggle Man 3
Reception
As of June 24, 2009, Retro Game Challenge has sold fewer than 100,000 copies in North America. This was viewed as disappointing for its North American publisher, Xseed GamesXSEED Games
XSEED redirects here. For the proposed supertall structure see X-Seed 4000.Xseed Games is a video game publisher and distributor founded by former members of Square Enix USA. Their goal is to bring high-quality interactive entertainment to the North American market...
, discouraging them from also localizing the sequel. Director of Publishing Ken Berry
Ken Berry
Kenneth Ronald "Ken" Berry is an American dancer, comedic actor and singer. He began on stage as a dancer and later starred in television sitcoms.-Life and career:...
stated that sales were initially strong, but died down.
Sequel
Game Center CX: Arino's Challenge 2 is the sequel to Retro Game Challenge (Game Center CX). Like the original, it largely consists of NESNintendo 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...
-styled games reminiscent of actual games released in the late 1980s through mid-1990s. However, this game also features games styled after Super NES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
, Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
, and Famicom Disk 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...
games, as well as variants on games included in Retro Game Challenge and a "game trainer" modeled after a Game & Watch
Game & Watch
is a line of handheld electronic games produced by Nintendo from to . Created by game designer Gunpei Yokoi, each Game & Watch features a single game to be played on an LCD screen in addition to a clock and an alarm ....
. All together, this title has 15 games in one. It was released on February 26, 2009 in Japan. Despite its predecessor's initial good sales in North America, Xseed Games
XSEED Games
XSEED redirects here. For the proposed supertall structure see X-Seed 4000.Xseed Games is a video game publisher and distributor founded by former members of Square Enix USA. Their goal is to bring high-quality interactive entertainment to the North American market...
has stated that US release of the game is pretty unlikely, due to the gaming community not catching enough attention.
Video games
- Wiz-Man
- Demon Returns
- Super Kung Fu Fighting
- Detective Kacho Parts 1 & 2
- Guadia Quest Saga
- GunDuel
- Super Demon Returns
- Triotos
- Cosmic Gate (MASA-X version)
- Rally King ex
- Star Prince SA (Score Attack ver)
- Super Robot Ninja Haggleman: Koume Version
- Triotos DX
- Training Game "Kugure! Girijan MAX!
Reception
In an interview with Xseed GamesXSEED Games
XSEED redirects here. For the proposed supertall structure see X-Seed 4000.Xseed Games is a video game publisher and distributor founded by former members of Square Enix USA. Their goal is to bring high-quality interactive entertainment to the North American market...
President Jun Iwasaki, the Director of Publishing Ken Berry
Ken Berry
Kenneth Ronald "Ken" Berry is an American dancer, comedic actor and singer. He began on stage as a dancer and later starred in television sitcoms.-Life and career:...
stated that an English localization of Game Center CX: Arino's Challenge 2 was unlikely, due to low sales numbers. Iwasaki stated that he was glad that they were able to localize the first title, but was disappointed with the sales. Iwasaki added that if the first title received a dramatic increase in sales, giving 100,000 as a target, they may consider localizing the sequel.
The magazine "Game Informer" put it on their list of the best games of 2009.