Rakugaki Showtime

Last updated

Rakugaki Showtime
Rakugaki Showtime cover.jpg
Developer(s) Treasure
Publisher(s) Enix
Director(s) Tetsuhiko Kikuchi
Designer(s) Naoki Kitagawa
Tetsuhiko Kikuchi
Tsunehisa Kanagae
Programmer(s) Hiroshi Matsumoto
Masaki Ukyo
Artist(s) Gō Nakazawa
Kazuo Yasuda
Composer(s) Norio Hanzawa
Toshiya Yamanaka
Kanta Watanabe
Platform(s) PlayStation
Release
  • JP: 29 July 1999
Genre(s) Fighting
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Rakugaki Showtime [a] is a 1999 fighting game for the PlayStation developed by Treasure and published by Enix. It is a full 3D battle arena fighting game, featuring characters that resemble crayon drawings. The game was only released in Japan.

Contents

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot PS1 Rakugaki Showtime.png
Gameplay screenshot

Rakugaki Showtime is a fighting game in a full 3D fighting arena. [1] It features up to four players. [1] Throwing projectiles feature prominently in the game, which has led to some reviewers comparing the game to being similar to dodgeball, but lacking a dividing line between the teams. [1] The game features 17 playable characters, including guest character Marina Liteyears from Mischief Makers . [2]

Development and release

Rakugaki Showtime was Treasure's first original project for PlayStation. [3] It featured music composed by Kenta Watanabe, who had previously worked on Banpresto's Panzer Bandit (1997). [4] The game was released on 29 July 1999, and published by Enix. [5] The game was given a very limited release because of a legal dispute over who owned the characters between Enix and Treasure. [6] The game became a rare item after its release, and would sell for 15,000 yen ($150 U.S.). [7] It was re-released for the PlayStation Network "Game Archives" in Japan on 25 June 2008. [8] It retailed for 600 yen. [9] The game was to be the basis for the GameCube and PlayStation 2 fighting game based on Tiny Toon Adventures , called Tiny Toons: Defenders of the Universe , [6] but the game was never released. It was later leaked onto the internet. [10]

Reception

Rakugaki Showtime was met with positive reception from critics. [7] [13] [14] [15]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: ラクガキショータイム, lit. "Graffiti Showtime"

Related Research Articles

Final Fantasy is a fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix. The franchise centers on a series of fantasy role-playing video games. The first game in the series was released in 1987, with 16 numbered main entries having been released to date.

<i>Final Fantasy VII</i> 1997 video game

Final Fantasy VII is a 1997 role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation. The seventh main installment in the Final Fantasy series, it was released in Japan by Square and internationally by Sony Computer Entertainment, becoming the first game in the main series to have a PAL release. The game's story follows Cloud Strife, a mercenary who joins an eco-terrorist organization to stop a world-controlling megacorporation from using the planet's life essence as an energy source. Ensuing events send Cloud and his allies in pursuit of Sephiroth, a superhuman who seeks to wound the planet and harness its healing power in order to be reborn as a god. Throughout their journey, Cloud bonds with his party members, including Aerith Gainsborough, who holds the secret to saving their world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Square Enix</span> Japanese entertainment company

Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. is a Japanese multinational holding company, video game publisher and entertainment conglomerate. It releases role-playing game franchises, such as Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts, among numerous others. Outside of video game publishing and development, it is also in the business of merchandise, arcade facilities, and manga publication under its Gangan Comics brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treasure (company)</span> Japanese video game developer

Treasure Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo known for its action, platform, and shoot 'em up games. The company was founded in 1992 by former Konami employees seeking to explore original game concepts and free themselves from Konami's reliance on sequels. Their first game, Gunstar Heroes (1993) on the Sega Genesis, was a critical success and established a creative and action-oriented design style that would continue to characterize their output. Treasure's philosophy in game development has always been to make games they enjoy, not necessarily those that have the greatest commercial viability.

<i>Final Fantasy XI</i> 2002 video game

Final Fantasy XI, also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), originally developed and published by Square and then published by Square Enix as the eleventh main installment of the Final Fantasy series. Designed and produced by Hiromichi Tanaka, it was released in Japan on May 16, 2002, for PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Windows-based personal computers in November of that year. The game was the first MMORPG to offer cross-platform play between PlayStation 2 and Windows. It was later released for the Xbox 360 in April 2006. All versions of the game require a monthly subscription to play.

<i>Brave Fencer Musashi</i> 1998 video game

Brave Fencer Musashi is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1998 for the PlayStation home console. The game involves real-time sword-based combat in a 3D environment; it also features segments of voiced over dialogue and role-playing game elements such as a day-night cycle and resting to restore energy.

<i>Mischief Makers</i> 1997 video game

Mischief Makers is a side-scrolling platform game developed for the Nintendo 64 gaming console by Treasure, and published in 1997 by Enix in Japan and by Nintendo internationally. The player assumes the role of Marina Liteyears, a robotic maid who journeys to rescue her creator, Professor Theo, from the emperor of Planet Clancer. The gameplay is displayed in 2.5D, based on grabbing, shaking, and throwing objects within five worlds and 52 levels.

<i>Tiny Toon Adventures: Defenders of the Universe</i> 2002 video game based on Tiny Toons

Tiny Toon Adventures: Defenders of the Universe is a cancelled fighting game based on the Tiny Toon Adventures franchise. It was initially scheduled for release in mid-2002, but was cancelled for unknown reasons, despite having completed development. It was developed by Treasure and originally slated for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. On 25 February 2009, a ROM image of the game was released by a member of the Internet forum Lost Levels.

<i>Final Fantasy XII</i> 2006 video game

Final Fantasy XII is a 2006 role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix. The twelfth main installment of the Final Fantasy series, it was first released for the PlayStation 2 in March 2006. It introduced several innovations to the series: an open world; a seamless battle system; a controllable camera; a customizable "gambit" system, which lets the player control the artificial intelligence (AI) of characters in battle; a "license" system, which determines what abilities and equipment can be used by characters; and hunting side quests, which allows the player to find and defeat increasingly difficult monsters in the game's open world. Final Fantasy XII also includes elements from previous games in the series, such as Chocobos and Moogles.

<i>Einhänder</i> 1997 video game

Einhänder is a scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation. It was released in Japan on November 20, 1997 and in North America on May 5, 1998 by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was also re-released for the Japanese PlayStation Network on June 25, 2008. The name Einhänder is German and denotes a type of sword that is wielded with one hand, here used to refer to the single manipulator arm possessed by the player's spacecraft.

<i>Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories</i> 2004 video game

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is an action role-playing video game that was developed by Square Enix and Jupiter, and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance (GBA). The game, which is an intermediary between the two larger-scale PlayStation 2 games in the Kingdom Hearts series, was one of the first GBA games to incorporate full motion video (FMV).

<i>Torneko: The Last Hope</i> 1999 video game

Torneko: The Last Hope is a 1999 role-playing video game for the PlayStation. The game was co-developed by Chunsoft and Matrix Software and published by Enix. In Japan, the game was ported to the Game Boy Advance in 2001.

The Chrono series is a video game franchise developed and published by Square, and is currently owned by Square Enix. The series began in 1995 with the time travel role-playing video game Chrono Trigger, which spawned two continuations, Radical Dreamers: Nusumenai Hōseki, and Chrono Cross. A promotional anime called Dimensional Adventure Numa Monjar and two ports of Chrono Trigger were also produced. As of March 31, 2003, Chrono Trigger was Square Enix's 12th best-selling game, with 2.65 million units shipped. Chrono Cross was the 24th, with 1.5 million units shipped. By 2019, the two games had sold over 5.5 million units combined. The games in the series have been called some of the greatest of all time, with most of the praise going towards Chrono Trigger. The series' original soundtracks, composed by Yasunori Mitsuda, have also been praised, with multiple soundtracks being released for them.

<i>Kingdom Hearts</i> Video game franchise

Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games created by Japanese game designers Tetsuya Nomura and Shinji Hashimoto, being developed and published by Square Enix. It is a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company, and is under the leadership of Nomura, a longtime Square Enix employee.

<i>Valkyrie Profile</i> (video game) 1999 video game

Valkyrie Profile is a role-playing video game developed by tri-Ace and published by Enix for the PlayStation. It was released on December 22, 1999 in Japan and on August 29, 2000 in North America. Inspired by Norse mythology, Valkyrie Profile follows the titular valkyrie, Lenneth, as she travels through Midgard, collecting the souls of slain heroes to serve either as einherjar or her personal companions for Ragnarok - the battle to decide the fate of all creation - and trains them by fighting monsters and performing additional quests. As she journeys, she learns more about her original human life, removed from her memory upon becoming a Valkyrie.

<i>All Star Pro-Wrestling</i> 2000 video game

All Star Pro-Wrestling is a 2000 professional wrestling video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation 2. It was the first wrestling games for the PlayStation 2 and was released only in Japan.

<i>Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time</i> 2009 video game

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time is a Wii and Nintendo DS action role-playing game in the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series developed by Square Enix.

Masaki Ukyō is a Japanese video game designer and programmer at R.U.N and a former Fill-in-Cafe and Treasure game designer. He joined Treasure from April 1993 to April 2004. He established the company R.U.N with former Fill-in-Cafe employee Masatoshi Imaizumi.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kalata, Kurt (12 July 2017). "Rakugaki Showtime". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  2. ↑ Bevan, Mike (19 June 2008). "Full of Eastern Promise". Retro Gamer (52): 36.
  3. ↑ Griffin, Mike (September 1999). "Cover Story - Game Profile: Rakugaki Showtime; An Interview with Masato Maegawa - Founder and President, Treausre; Text Continued". Gamers' Republic. No. 16. Millennium Publishing. pp. 17–18, 124.
  4. ↑ Manent, Mathieu (1 February 2018). PlayStation Anthology. Geeks-Line. pp. 30–32. ISBN   979-1093752334.
  5. 1 2 "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: ラクガキショータイム". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 555. ASCII Corporation. 6 August 1999. p. 29. Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  6. 1 2 Fahs, Travis (7 May 2008). "Beta Blues, Vol. 2 - Games snatched away from us at the last minute: Conspiracy Theory". IGN . Ziff Davis. p. 2. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  7. 1 2 Davies, Jonti (2 July 2008). "Japanese PlayStation Store Gems - Jonti reckons Sony is doing a great job managing the Japanese PlayStation Store..." GameSpy . IGN. p. 1. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  8. ↑ "プレイステーション3のゲームアーカイブスに『ゼノギアス』や『アストロノーカ』など6タイトルが追加". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. 25 June 2008. Archived from the original on 4 September 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  9. ↑ Gibson, Ellie (25 June 2008). "Square Enix releases old games via PSN - But only for the Japanese Store". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  10. ↑ Spencer (4 March 2009). "Lost Treasure Developed Tiny Toons Game Found". Siliconera . Curse LLC. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  11. ↑ Ngo, George (November 1999). "Imports: Rakugaki Showtime". GameFan . Vol. 7, no. 11. Shinno Media. pp. 82–83.
  12. ↑ Bartholow, Peter (12 October 1999). "Rakugaki Showtime (Import) Review - Those looking for a great party-game fix should give Rakugaki Showtime a look". GameSpot . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  13. ↑ Bevan, Mike (19 June 2008). "Full of Eastern Promise: Rakugaki Showtime". Retro Gamer . No. 52. Imagine Publishing. pp. 36–37.
  14. ↑ "Hidden Japanese Gems - How to infiltrate the Japanese PlayStation Store, and pick up an array of 32-bit classics and rarities!". IGN . Ziff Davis. 29 April 2009. p. 1. Archived from the original on 20 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  15. ↑ Miller, Patrick (11 February 2016). "17 mold-breaking fighting games that all developers should study". Gamasutra . UBM Technology Group. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.