Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School | |
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Developer(s) | Square [1] [2] Nintendo R&D1 |
Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
Director(s) | Yoshio Sakamoto |
Producer(s) | Gunpei Yokoi |
Designer(s) |
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Programmer(s) | |
Artist(s) | Takashi Tokita [4] |
Writer(s) | Yoshio Sakamoto |
Composer(s) |
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Platform(s) | Family Computer Disk System |
Release |
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Genre(s) | Dating sim |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School [a] is a 1987 dating sim developed by Square and Nintendo R&D1, and published by Nintendo exclusively in Japan for the Famicom Disk System. The game was released on December 1, 1987. It was one of the first dating sim games. [5] It was designed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, who also created the Final Fantasy series, and Yoshio Sakamoto, who co-created Metroid . The music for the game was composed by Nobuo Uematsu [3] and Toshiaki Imai. [4] Pop idol Miho Nakayama contributed her name and likeness and voice-acted tie-in segments that could be accessed by calling toll-free phone numbers revealed during the progress of gameplay. [6]
The game's protagonist enters Tokimeki High School and runs into a girl wearing glasses who looks identical to Miho Nakayama. [5] Though the game is a standard text command-style adventure game similar to the later Famicom Detective Club series, in important scenes, the player is required to select a facial expression in addition to a verbal response. The four expressions (straight face, laughter, sadness, anger) must match the content of the response being given, and any incorrect responses immediately lead to the "game over" screen. This increased the game's difficulty considerably in comparison to other text adventure games where there were fewer incorrect choices. Some scenes specifically require that the dialogue not match with the expression. For instance, choosing a dialogue expressing joy with a straight face may be the correct choice in a certain situation because it represents a deeper level of emotion and thought on the part of the protagonist. [5] This system allowed the game to simulate a level of complexity resembling actual love relationships, leading to its classification as a dating simulation rather than an adventure game. The game has two different endings, depending on the choices made during the game, and the prizes receivable via the Disk Fax network differed for each ending.
Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School was the first bishōjo game featuring a Japanese idol. Miho Nakayama, a popular actress and singer in Japan during the 1980s, is featured on the game's cover and makes a cameo appearance in the game itself. [3] It was created through a collaboration between Nintendo and Square Co., the later of which had just finished Final Fantasy . [7] The game was developed by Hironobu Sakaguchi (creator of Final Fantasy), and Yoshio Sakamoto (producer of Metroid ). [7] Sakamoto, then in his fifth year at Nintendo, was excited at the prospect of making an adventure game, but came up with an idea of using a real life celebrity instead of creating a new character, to make the game feel like an "event" or a "kind of festival". [2] The game was developed in a two-week period. [8]
It was the third game compatible with the Disk Fax network of the Disk System, and uses a blue floppy disk instead of the regular yellow disk. [5] In 1987 Square wanted to make a Disk Fax adventure game, and Nintendo suggested that the game includes an idol, as it would interest players. [3] Though most compatible games used the Disk Fax network to upload high scores or time trials onto the official rankings system, Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School was the only game where players used the network to register that they had completed the game to receive prizes. The game also contained a phone number which players could call to hear hints concerning the gameplay or listen to a personal message voiced by Miho Nakayama herself. [5] This phone service ended shortly after the release of the game, and the messages and hints are displayed in text form in subsequent versions of the game. The Disk Fax service was used for a contest from December 19, 1987, to February 29, 1988, in which 8000 winners received an autographed phonecard (for those who finished the game with the "normal" ending) and 8000 received a special VHS tape (for those who finished with the "best" ending). [5]
The game topped the bi-weekly Japanese Famitsu sales chart in December 1987. [9]
In reader votes of Japanese Family Computer Magazine, the game received a 17.40 out of 25. [10]
1UP.com called it the 10th "Sorta Significant Famicom Games", citing it status as a forerunner of the dating simulation game that would later become popular in Japan. [11] GamesRadar listed the Japanese television commercial as one of the best and strangest Nintendo Entertainment System commercials. [12]
Square Co., Ltd., also known under its international brand name SquareSoft, was a Japanese video game developer and publisher. It was founded in 1986 by Masafumi Miyamoto, who spun off part of his father's electronics company Den-Yu-Sha. Among its early employees were designers Hironobu Sakaguchi, Hiromichi Tanaka, Akitoshi Kawazu and Koichi Ishii, artist Kazuko Shibuya, programmer Nasir Gebelli, and composer Nobuo Uematsu. Initially focusing on action games, the team saw popular success with the role-playing video game Final Fantasy in 1987, which would lead to the franchise of the same name being one of its tentpole franchises. Later notable staff included directors Yoshinori Kitase and Takashi Tokita, designer and writer Yasumi Matsuno, artists Tetsuya Nomura and Yusuke Naora, and composers Yoko Shimomura and Masashi Hamauzu.
Final Fantasy III is a 1990 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Family Computer. The third installment in the Final Fantasy series, it is the first numbered Final Fantasy game to feature the job-change system. The story revolves around four orphaned youths drawn to a crystal of light. The crystal grants them some of its power, and instructs them to go forth and restore balance to the world. Not knowing what to make of the crystal's pronouncements, but nonetheless recognizing the importance of its words, the four inform their adoptive families of their mission and set out to explore and bring back balance to the world.
The Family Computer Disk System, commonly shortened to the Famicom Disk System, or just Disk System, is a peripheral for Nintendo's Family Computer home video game console, released only in Japan on February 21, 1986. It uses proprietary floppy disks called "Disk Cards" for cheaper data storage and it adds a new high-fidelity sound channel for supporting Disk System games.
Intelligent Systems Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer best known for developing games published by Nintendo with the Fire Emblem, Paper Mario, WarioWare, and Wars video game series. Originally, the company was headquartered at the Nintendo Kyoto Research Center in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, but later moved to a building near Nintendo's main headquarters in October 2013. They were also responsible for the creation of various development hardware both first and 3rd party developers would use to make games for Nintendo systems, such as the IS Nitro Emulator, the official development kit for the Nintendo DS.
Dating sims, or romance simulation games, are a video game subgenre of simulation games with romantic elements. While dating sims share a similar visual presentation with visual novels, they are distinct genres. Dating sims are largely dependent on statistical calculations to drive the plot, whilst visual novels focus on telling a branching story. Nevertheless, the term "dating sim" has become a generic term for romance-driven games in the West.
1987 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Dragon Quest II, Final Lap, and Zelda II, along with new titles such as After Burner, Contra, Double Dragon, Final Fantasy, Mega Man, Metal Gear, Operation Wolf, Phantasy Star, Shinobi, Street Fighter and The Last Ninja. The Legend of Zelda was also introduced outside of Japan.
1986 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Super Mario Bros. 2, along with new titles such as Arkanoid, Bubble Bobble, Castlevania, Dragon Quest, Ikari Warriors, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Out Run and R.B.I. Baseball. The year's highest-grossing arcade video games were Hang-On in Japan, Hang-On and Gauntlet in the United States, and Nemesis (Gradius) in London. The year's best‑selling home system was the Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom) for the third year in a row, while the year's best-selling home video games in Western markets were Super Mario Bros. in the United States and Yie Ar Kung-Fu in the United Kingdom.
Miho Nakayama was a Japanese singer and actress. She made her debut in the 1985 drama Maido Osawagase Shimasu, where her performance led to instant stardom. Nakayama released her debut single, "C", shortly after, and finished the year with her film debut in the blockbuster Be-Bop High School. She became one of the most popular idols during its "Golden Age" in the 1980s. Nicknamed Miporin (ミポリン), Nakayama occasionally used the pseudonyms Mizuho Kitayama or Issaque when she wrote song lyrics.
Shin Onigashima is a 1987 adventure game developed by Nintendo R&D4 and Pax Softnica. It was released by Nintendo on two disk cards for the Famicom Disk System. Shin Onigashima was produced by Shigeru Miyamoto with music by Koji Kondo. The game is the first in the Famicom Mukashibanashi series and was followed by Yūyūki (1989).
Metroid is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo. The first installment in the Metroid series, it was originally released in Japan for the Family Computer Disk System in August 1986. North America received a release in August 1987 on the Nintendo Entertainment System in the Game Pak ROM cartridge format, with the European release following in January 1988. Set on the planet Zebes, the story follows Samus Aran as she attempts to retrieve the parasitic Metroid organisms that were stolen by Space Pirates, who plan to replicate the Metroids by exposing them to beta rays and then use them as biological weapons to destroy Samus and all who oppose them.
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on July 15, 1983, as the Family Computer (Famicom). It was released in US test markets as the redesigned NES in October 1985, and fully launched in the US the following year. The NES was distributed in Europe, Australia, and parts of Asia throughout the 1980s under various names. As a third-generation console, it mainly competed with Sega's Master System.
Famicom Detective Club is an adventure game duology developed and published by Nintendo for the Family Computer Disk System. The first entry, The Missing Heir, was released in 1988, followed by a prequel released the next year titled The Girl Who Stands Behind. In both games, the player takes on the role of a young man solving murder mysteries in the Japanese countryside.
Miho Nakayama Perfect Best 2 is the 16th compilation album by Japanese entertainer Miho Nakayama. Released through King Records on November 2, 2013, the album is a supplement to the 2010 compilation Miho Nakayama Perfect Best, covering the singles not featured in the previous release and including different versions of Nakayama's popular singles.
All Time Best is the 17th compilation album by Japanese entertainer Miho Nakayama. Released through King Records on December 23, 2020 to commemorate Nakayama's 35th anniversary, the three-disc album compiles all 39 of her past singles plus one song from her 2019 album Neuf Neuf. A limited edition release features a bonus Blu-ray disc that includes an HD remaster of Virgin Flight '86: Miho Nakayama First Concert.
"Be-Bop High School" is the third single by Japanese entertainer Miho Nakayama. Composed by Kyōhei Tsutsumi with lyrics by Takashi Matsumoto, the single was released on December 5, 1985, by King Records.
"Love Clover" is the 37th single by Japanese entertainer Miho Nakayama. Written by Takuro and Nakayama, the single was released on April 8, 1998, by King Records.
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