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Retro Arena: Japanese Publishers

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    Retro Arena: Japanese Publishers




    Atlus
    Capcom
    Data East
    Enix
    Hudson Soft
    Irem
    Jaleco
    Konami
    Namco
    Nintendo
    Sammy
    Sega
    SNK
    Sony
    SquareSoft
    Sunsoft
    Taito
    Tecmo
    Tecno Soft


    Here we have some of the best Japanese game publishers. Choose 5 that you like the most.

    P.S. I will be creating another topic based on Japanese companies that were solely developers.
    Last edited by Leon Retro; 27-02-2020, 22:32.

    #2
    Bloody hell this one is a hard list to make. Nearly all those have made games i have loved over the years.

    1)Konami: Easy choice for the top spot they made Ganbare Goemon my fave game series ever but they also made a hell of a lot of other games i love. Their output during the 8-32bit era was insane. Parodius, twinbee the entire bemani rhythm series of games and a LOT more. As bad as they are in modern times they were just as good back in retro land.

    2)Taito: makers of my favourite arcade game ever Rainbow islands, they also made a load of other amazing games including bubble bobble and it's sequels as well as space invaders.

    3)Nintendo: do i really need to say any more that hasn't already been said a million times, Mario, Zelda, Kirby, Metroid and the whole pile of other games over the years from the big N have been fantastic. They have a feel like nobody elses games and that's kind of why they are special.

    4)Sunsoft: on this list for Mr Gimmick which is an absolute masterpiece of platforming, also the amazingly fun Hebereke on Famicom and Hebereke's popoon on super famicom too.

    5)Hudson soft: the PC genjin & denjin series of games along with star parodia and a mazillion fun bomberman games, still makes me sad that they went bankrupt but the legacy they left was amazing untill Konami bought it all up and did barely anything with it.

    Other mentions go out to Capcom for pretty much pioneering the survival horror genre with biohazard & the addictive Rockman series of games also ghouls and ghosts another rock solid classic. If i had room Capcom would have been up there too.
    Last edited by importaku; 27-02-2020, 22:22.

    Comment


      #3
      I agree it's difficult to narrow these down! Lots of great games.

      Sega

      Outrun is perhaps my all time favourite arcade game and throughout my childhood every year I’d be blown away by their latest coin-op. Lots of great console games as well for the Dreamcast, Megadrive etc

      Taito
      I love their platformers, Bubble Bobble, Rainbow Islands etc. I was also a big fan of Chase HQ when I was young.

      Konami
      I love the Gradius series and all of the spin-offs (Salamander, Parodius). In the PS2-era I played PES to death. I was also a big fan of Silent Hill.

      Nintendo
      I’m not hugely into many of their IPs, though I’ve played a LOT of Mario over the years. I always say I’m Sega over Nintendo, but Mario over Sonic. I really need to play a Zelda game.

      Sony
      I was close to saying Capcom or Irem here, but thinking about it, throughout the Playstation-era there are a lot of Sony published games I’ve enjoyed. Ico series, Bloodborne, Last of Us, Gran Turismo series, Gravity Rush, God of War…amongst others.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by importaku View Post

        1)Konami: Easy choice for the top spot they made Ganbare Goemon my fave game series ever but they also made a hell of a lot of other games i love. Their output during the 8-32bit era was insane. Parodius, twinbee the entire bemani rhythm series of games and a LOT more.
        All of those -- plus the Contra, Castlevania, Gradius series' of games. Also lots of other gems such as Rocket Knight/Sparkster. The list goes on and on. Such a great company during the '80s and '90s.

        Originally posted by importaku View Post
        2)Taito: makers of my favourite arcade game ever Rainbow islands
        Yeah, such a classic game. Plus all the other games in the Bubble Bobble series.

        I could talk about Taito all day.

        Originally posted by importaku View Post
        3)Nintendo: do i really need to say any more that hasn't already been said a million times
        Yada, yada, yada. I'll just say that I love Nintendo.

        Originally posted by importaku View Post
        4)Sunsoft: on this list for Mr Gimmick which is an absolute masterpiece of platforming
        One of Sunsoft's best games that shows off the NES, and it's also really fun to play. One of my NES faves.

        Originally posted by importaku View Post
        5)Hudson soft: the PC genjin & denjin series of games along with star parodia and a mazillion fun bomberman games,
        I really like how Hudson did their own thing and had a clear identity. They made, as you have pointed out, lots of classic games. They were only guilty of milking the Bomberman franchise a bit much.


        Originally posted by ZipZap View Post

        Sega
        Outrun is perhaps my all time favourite arcade game and throughout my childhood every year I’d be blown away by their latest coin-op. Lots of great console games as well for the Dreamcast, Megadrive etc


        Yeah, they consistently released cutting edge coin-ops that blew people away and put smiles on their faces. Such a great company in the coin-op and home markets throughout the '80s & '90s.

        Originally posted by ZipZap View Post
        Taito
        I was also a big fan of Chase HQ when I was young.


        I still really enjoy going back to Chase HQ -- the graphics and overall vibe always grab me. Such a classic game that wasn't bettered.
        Last edited by Leon Retro; 28-02-2020, 01:09.

        Comment


          #5
          My choices:

          1. Konami - First and foremost, I'm a big fan of the Castlevania & Contra franchises, so all the top quality games they've produced is a special part of my retro gaming. Then you have all the Gradius & Salamander games, plus other excellent shooters such as Axelay, Space Manbow, Parodius, Xexex etc... As well as all the other top quality coin-ops from the '80s & '90s. It's with the SNES that Konami shone brightest for me; they made some of the greatest games for the machine that really took advantage of the hardware. The brilliant Goemon series on the SNES are always a joy to play again and again.

          2. Nintendo - I absolutely love the SMB series and spin-off Yoshi platformers. All the Mario Kart games are a joy to go back to. The Zelda series of games are excellent, even though I'm not usually a fan of RPGs. Star Fox on the SNES and N64 are always fun to play again. The F-Zero series are go-to retro games that I'll never stop playing. Then you have gems such as Wave Race 64, 1080 Snowboarding, Pilotwings. Not forgetting the Kirby series that I'm really fond of. There are loads of other Nintendo games that I really like.

          3. Sega - My appreciation of how brilliant Sega were started in the arcades with Space Harrier OutRun and Super Hang-On. There was something really magical about Sega coin-ops in the '80s. Then Sega gave me so much goodness with the Mega Drive. From Golden Axe, to Castle of Illusion, the Sonic series, and Streets of Rage games. All the console thrills continued with the Saturn and Dreamcast. A very special company with a vast catalogue of retro gems that I'll always go back to.

          4. Capcom - I think my fondness for Capcom started with the excellent Commando coin-op. Then I enjoyed titles such as Ghosts 'n Goblins, Strider, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Final Fight, and all the subsequent beat 'em ups such as Captain Commando, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, The Punisher, AvP etc.... But my favourite Capcom franchise has to be Street Fighter 2. I'll never forget how much I loved all the SF2 games back in the day -- I played them for years and years. Then the company continued to deliver amazing 2D games throughout the 32-bit era. A mention must go to Power Stone the games on the Dreamcast, which are absolutely brilliant creations.

          5. Taito - Such a great company that delivered loads of classic games for the arcades and home market. Qix, Rastan, Bubble Bobble series(Rainbow Islands ), Darius series(Gaiden is my fave), The New Zealand Story, Chase HQ, plus all the other excellent platformers and action games from the 80's & '90s. When it comes to retro gaming, Taito are one of the big hitters.

          An honourable mention must go to Hudson Soft, Namco, and SNK. Three companies that also delivered loads of games I really enjoyed. Looking at the list though, I have major respect for all of them. They all helped to make gaming such a fun, interesting hobby.
          Last edited by Leon Retro; 28-02-2020, 23:44.

          Comment


            #6
            This one is easy for me. In no particular order:

            Capcom
            Konami
            Sega
            Nintendo
            SNK

            Yes, all the big hitters and yes, very predictable, but the sheer quantity and quality of output during the late 80s to late 90s of the above puts them way ahead of any other publisher in the list bar Squaresoft who I couldn’t include as was only able to name five.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by samanosuke View Post
              This one is easy for me. In no particular order:
              Capcom
              Konami
              Sega
              Nintendo
              SNK

              Yes, all the big hitters and yes, very predictable, but the sheer quantity and quality of output during the late 80s to late 90s of the above puts them way ahead of any other publisher
              I was thinking about choosing SNK, but felt that Taito had given me more games that I'm really fond of. Not being a big fan of SNK fighters went against their inclusion.

              So it was also predictable for me, but the companies chosen really have given me the most over the past 30+ years of gaming. I like all the publishers listed, but some mean more to me than others.
              Last edited by Leon Retro; 29-02-2020, 18:26.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Leon Retro View Post
                I was thinking about choosing SNK, but felt that Taito had given me more games that I'm really fond of. Not being a big fan of SNK fighters went against their inclusion.
                Well yes, liking - no, loving - their fighters is a prerequisite to putting them on such a pedestal. For me the Fatal Fury series, Samurai Shodown series (okay, just the first two games), KoF series and Last Blade series qualify them as the awesomest of awesome Japanese developers and publishers.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by samanosuke View Post
                  For me the Fatal Fury series, Samurai Shodown series (okay, just the first two games)
                  I quite like FF Special and Real Bout. Samurai Shodown 1 & 2 are easily my favourite fighters from SNK.

                  Comment


                    #10


                    Does anyone else have an interest in classic Japanese game publishers?

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