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[DDayton]

I just stumbled across a web page about Kemco's Crazy Castle games and the original Japanese game they were derived from...

It appears that Bugs Bunny's Crazy Castle appeared first in Japan as a Roger Rabbit game... which actually makes a lot more sense, as far as the gameplay mechanics and items go. Giant boxing gloves and weights being used against weasels is more logical than using them against Sylvester.

I just found this really odd, as the original context and characters made more sense for a release in the USA... I'm sure it all came down to the fact that LJN had the game rights to the movie locked up, but it's still a really odd case.

Any other really neat "changes" in games that you can think of? This seems to be one of the odder ones...

 

[DJ Demon J]

I loved this game. 3 cheers for Deja Vu and Shadowgate too!

 

[Joe]

holy crap the gameboy version was one of my favorite games...MEMORRIEEESSS

 

[Senretsu]

I loved this game. 3 cheers for Deja Vu and Shadowgate too!

Don't forget about The Uninvited........I never did beat that game.

 

[Link316]

NES version was great, don't like the later Gameboy versions though because the gameplay lost its simplicity

 

[dog$]

Very interesting, I had no idea about these changes. I wonder what the No-Carrot Zones were represented as in the Roger Rabbit version.

YTKX

 

[belgurdo]

That was one of the few games I beat when I was a kid (and it was damn hard for me, too.) Awesome stuff back then

 

[Mejilan]

Never liked these Crazy Castle games, ,but Shadowgate rocked. The GBC port was one of the best ideas ever!

 

[binary]

I played Bugs Bunny's Crazy Castle for hours and hours on gameboy. great game...which reminds me of Mr. Chin's Paradise? Anyone remember that? Another excellent game...

 

[SantaC]

I loved this game. 3 cheers for Deja Vu and Shadowgate too!

and Uninvited as well. That game was freaky.

 

[FortNinety]

So strange. I was just at a Sony press event tonight where stuff like Ratchet & Clank 3 and Jak 3 and other stuff were on display, and instead I played with Crazy Castle for the Game Boy on my friend's GBA instead.

 

[Agent X]

Any other really neat "changes" in games that you can think of? This seems to be one of the odder ones...

I don't think it's as odd as what had happened to Saboteur, a game Atari was developing in 1984 for the Atari 2600. It was an original game, which was unusual in 1984 because most of Atari's new 2600 games coming out around that time were either arcade conversions, sequels to earlier games, or games that were licensed from some movie/cartoon/TV show/comic book (and sometimes a combination of more than one of these). The storyline did have a tie-in with 1982's Yars' Revenge, but it wasn't a direct sequel to that game, and the gameplay was completely different.

Here's a screen from the unreleased prototype of Saboteur:

Also go to this Web page to read up a bit on the game.

So, what's the big deal, you ask? Well, Atari just couldn't resist another opportunity for a licensing tie-in, so the nearly finished Saboteur went through some graphical changes and became...The A-Team! Witness this lovely screen of a huge, disembodied Mr. T head spitting deadly missiles at his foes!

Don't forget to look at this Web page to read more about the development of this unusual game (and see even more incredible screens)!

Epilogue: In March of 2004, Saboteur--with its original graphics and storyline--was finally completed and released to the public, courtesy of legendary Atari 2600 programmer Howard Scott Warshaw. It's published by AtariAge, and you can find more information (and purchase the cartridge) if you click here.

 

[FortNinety]

I don't think it's as odd as what had happened to Saboteur, a game Atari was developing in 1984 for the Atari 2600. It was an original game, which was unusual in 1984 because most of Atari's new 2600 games coming out around that time were either arcade conversions, sequels to earlier games, or games that were licensed from some movie/cartoon/TV show/comic book (and sometimes a combination of more than one of these). The storyline did have a tie-in with 1982's Yars' Revenge, but it wasn't a direct sequel to that game, and the gameplay was completely different.

Here's a screen from the unreleased prototype of Saboteur:

Also go to this Web page to read up a bit on the game.

So, what's the big deal, you ask? Well, Atari just couldn't resist another opportunity for a licensing tie-in, so the nearly finished Saboteur went through some graphical changes and became...The A-Team! Witness this lovely screen of a huge, disembodied Mr. T head spitting deadly missiles at his foes!

Don't forget to look at this Web page to read more about the development of this unusual game (and see even more incredible screens)!

Epilogue: In March of 2004, Saboteur--with its original graphics and storyline--was finally completed and released to the public, courtesy of legendary Atari 2600 programmer Howard Scott Warshaw. It's published by AtariAge, and you can find more information (and purchase the cartridge) if you click here.

I went to the Philly Classics Expo where the game premiered and played a few rounds, and it was a lot of fun, though fairly hard. I almost picked up a copy, but got Joust Pong (can you guess what game that's like?) instead.

 

[Agent X]

I went to the Philly Classics Expo where the game premiered and played a few rounds, and it was a lot of fun, though fairly hard. I almost picked up a copy, but got Joust Pong (can you guess what game that's like?) instead.

Sure, I can guess what it's like--I too played JoustPong at PhillyClassic. Before leaving that day, I bought both that game and Saboteur! Both games are great!

BTW, in my earlier message, I should have stated that The A-Team was never released (in that form) for the 2600. PhillyClassic 2004 was the first time Saboteur (in any form) was sold to the public.

 

[FortNinety]

Sure, I can guess what it's like--I too played JoustPong at PhillyClassic. Before leaving that day, I bought both that game and Saboteur! Both games are great!

BTW, in my earlier message, I should have stated that The A-Team was never released (in that form) for the 2600. PhillyClassic 2004 was the first time Saboteur (in any form) was sold to the public.

Hey you were at the show too? Awesome! If you want to relieve the memories, then check out this post I did on the show (I did a similar one for GA before it blew up)....

http://www.talkaboutcomics.com/viewtopic.php?t=14232

 

[Agent X]

Yep, I was there! I was at last year's PhillyClassic, also.

That was a cool post you made. I saw a lot of the same things you mentioned, such as Blaster for the Atari 5200, and the very cool classic video game artwork (as seen in the photos in that post).

I also got to meet Howard Scott Warshaw in person, and he autographed my Saboteur and Once Upon Atari DVD! HSW is definitely a totally cool guy, as you could probably tell if you saw the live interview (and also Once Upon Atari).