Trivia Browser
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All of the enemies in Crash Bandicoot 99x were inspired by Looney Tunes side characters. Mr. Crumb was inspired by Count Bloodcount from Translyvania 6-5000, the mummy was inspired by Gossamer, the skeleton was inspired by Satan from Devil's Feud Cake, and while the developer George F. (last name unknown) did not recall the inspiration for the tree, he believed it may have been inspired by Tweety Bird's monster form from Hyde and Go Tweet.
The choice for a horror setting in the game was also inspired by Looney Tunes, particularly the compilation film Daffy Duck's Quackbusters.
The choice for a horror setting in the game was also inspired by Looney Tunes, particularly the compilation film Daffy Duck's Quackbusters.
subdirectory_arrow_right Star Fox (Franchise)
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The development for Kid Icarus: Uprising began with a vague concept of a game conceived by Masahiro Sakurai that would switch between aerial and land combat. At the recommendation of then-Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, it was decided to incorporate a pre-existing Nintendo IP onto the concept, and Sakurai would ultimately land on Kid Icarus, as he was aware of its endearing popularity in the west and a desire from fans for a new installment, especially with its protagonist, Pit, being included as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Another IP that was briefly considered was the Star Fox franchise. However, Sakurai ultimately felt that the character of Pit and his universe were more flexible and fitting for the type of game he was creating with Uprising.
Another IP that was briefly considered was the Star Fox franchise. However, Sakurai ultimately felt that the character of Pit and his universe were more flexible and fitting for the type of game he was creating with Uprising.
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Some unused content that was going to be used in the scrapped sequel is still referenced in the final game. The second installment would have had Drew Blanc and Flux Wildly traveling to the "Train of Thought", where they would meet an animated version of Vincent Van Gogh and have an encounter with a nightmarish dentist. In the opening for the first game, Drew receives a phone call reminder to get a dental filling, and a picture of Van Gogh can be seen on the wall in his workspace. Footage of the animated Van Gogh also appears in the official trailer for the game.
Collection: Kid Icarus
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Around 2007, Retro Studios designer Jason Behr pitched the idea of a new Kid Icarus title for the Wii to Nintendo, providing little more than an elevator pitch and some conceptual documents. When reached by Unseen64, Behr stated that the original NES title was a childhood favorite of his and a constant source of inspiration. However, Nintendo turned down the offer before it could proceed into creating test assets, as the pitch focused primarily on the idea of reviving Kid Icarus, which ran counter to Nintendo's approach of conceptualizing gameplay elements first and determining a suitable property for them second.
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When looking for additional characters based on pre-existing fighters to include in the tail-end of Super Smash Bros.' development, Masahiro Sakurai had considered including Clefairy from the Pokémon series as a derivative of Kirby's skeleton. Ultimately, he chose Jigglypuff, as he felt its personality stood out more as a weaker character likely to be defeated.
subdirectory_arrow_right Pac-Man (Franchise)
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Pac-Man Championship Edition is the last game in the Pac-Man series to involve series creator Toru Iwatani before his retirement, of which was announced at the Pac-Man World Championship in New York City on June 5, 2007, and was preceded with this statement:
"It gives me great joy to know that my final contributions in my corporate career were to crown the Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Champion and to leave the world with an amazing new 'Pac-Man' game for generations to enjoy."
Articles about Iwatani's involvement in the game and his retirement:
https://amp.smh.com.au/technology/one-last-hurrah-for-pac-man-20070608-gdqc22.html
https://www.gamesradar.com/pac-man-championship-edition-retrospective/
Database sources for the game and Iwatami's career:
https://www.backloggd.com/games/pac-man-championship-edition/
https://www.giantbomb.com/toru-iwatani/3040-93065/
https://amp.smh.com.au/technology/one-last-hurrah-for-pac-man-20070608-gdqc22.html
https://www.gamesradar.com/pac-man-championship-edition-retrospective/
Database sources for the game and Iwatami's career:
https://www.backloggd.com/games/pac-man-championship-edition/
https://www.giantbomb.com/toru-iwatani/3040-93065/
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According to a Japanese promotional tape, earlier versions of some of the special weapons function differently than they do in the final game:
• Star Crash was a single attack that homed in on enemies rather than being used as a shield.
• Gravity Hold stopped time instead of defeating all enemies on screen.
• Gyro Attack did not have a limit and it could be used in multiple directions at once.
• Star Crash was a single attack that homed in on enemies rather than being used as a shield.
• Gravity Hold stopped time instead of defeating all enemies on screen.
• Gyro Attack did not have a limit and it could be used in multiple directions at once.
subdirectory_arrow_right McDonald's (Collection)
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A concept document for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 shows that Knuckles was originally going to be able to walk up walls and ceilings instead of just climbing walls, and break down walls with a whirlwind attack rather than his fists. The McDonald's Happy Meal toy of Knuckles included in their Sonic 3 promotion, which is a wheeled toy that pilots a cloud, may be a leftover of this unused character trait.
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Concept artwork for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 shows that before Knuckles was an echidna, he was conceived as a hedgehog, cat, and eventually mole. During the period in which he was a mole, he was known as "Stealth the Mole", could dig, and had a shovel to attack with. Additionally, a dropped plotline from when Knuckles was a hedgehog revolved around Tails admiring him due to his resemblance to Sonic.
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On December 11, 2023, Atlus's official Twitter account "Atlus_jp" posted a message about the game to address fan expectations stemming from the larger commercial and critical success of Persona 5, revealing that despite the fantasy RPG game being different from how Persona 5 works as a modern RPG, it would be made with the same mindset that resulted in that game. They stated that the game is a "commemorative title that marks the culmination of Atlus' policy of 'originality and empathy' through the fantasy RPG genre, and is not simply a nostalgic return to the roots of the past". The game's director Katsura Hashino previously described Metaphor as being a "third pillar" for Atlus, with the key themes for the game being "Facing your fear", because "If you stand still in fear of uncertainty, you will never be able to move forward".
Atlus JP tweet:
https://twitter.com/Atlus_jp/status/1734200367439864276
Metaphor: ReFantazio Will Be a “Different Experience” When Compared to Persona 5, Says Atlus:
https://noisypixel.net/metaphor-refantazio-different-experience-from-persona-5-says-atlus/
Metaphor: ReFantazio's fantasy election adapts Persona's social gameplay "The culmination of Atlus' policy of 'originality and empathy'".:
https://www.eurogamer.net/metaphor-refantazios-fantasy-election-adapts-personas-social-gameplay
https://twitter.com/Atlus_jp/status/1734200367439864276
Metaphor: ReFantazio Will Be a “Different Experience” When Compared to Persona 5, Says Atlus:
https://noisypixel.net/metaphor-refantazio-different-experience-from-persona-5-says-atlus/
Metaphor: ReFantazio's fantasy election adapts Persona's social gameplay "The culmination of Atlus' policy of 'originality and empathy'".:
https://www.eurogamer.net/metaphor-refantazios-fantasy-election-adapts-personas-social-gameplay
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The lyrics to Silver's theme, "Dreams of an Absolution", was based on songwriter Bentley Jones' relationship with his ex-boyfriend:
"Originally, I wrote "Dreams" about a bad ex-boyfriend who wanted to get back with me, and I couldn't shake off the past, and I was in this weird grey area that I didn't know if I wanted to move forward together anymore. Scandal! "Dreams" was written about a gay love story!"
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In 2023, the character Leone Abbacchio was added to JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R as a DLC character over ten years after the original game’s release. Despite being a main cast member of the fifth part of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, he was previously only playable in the 2002 Japan-only PlayStation 2 game Jojo no Kimyou na Bouken: Ougon no Kaze, due to the developers having trouble trying to make his ability Moody Blues, which causes his opponents to replay their moves, viable for combat. This led to him becoming a very highly-requested fighter for the game before he was eventually added.
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The concept for Shipwrecked 64 first came about in 2016, when creator Squeaks D'Corgeh was making fangames based on Five Nights at Treasure Island, a Five Nights at Freddy's fangame featuring Disney characters. In 2020, he scrapped the Disney characters and replaced them with original characters, those being Bucky Beaver and his friends. He dropped the project for some time, but was reminded of it again after discovering a satirical Super Mario 64 Iceberg Tiers meme. The deepest fact below the iceberg, asserting that "every copy of Mario 64 is personalized", inspired the gameplay loop for Shipwrecked 64. He would restart development in 2021, which would ultimately lead to the version of the game released on Steam.
Interview with Squeaks D'Corgeh:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfhEhgk-FSI#t=863
Super Mario 64 Iceberg Tiers meme:
https://sm64-conspiracies.fandom.com/wiki/Iceberg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfhEhgk-FSI#t=863
Super Mario 64 Iceberg Tiers meme:
https://sm64-conspiracies.fandom.com/wiki/Iceberg
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In June of 2020, an uncredited animator who worked on the game named Dennis Opel posted various development clips on his Twitter page. These clips were for a pitch to rework the game's combat system, which he worked on in the sidelines while the game was still in development. Some of his ideas included incorporating dodging and counter attacks; certain moves the player could perform being affected by the enemy's actions, stats, and distance from the player; etc. In the end, this pitch was never submitted to Rockstar.
Development footage posted by Dennis Opel:
https://twitter.com/Dennis__Opel/status/1269049405929213952
https://twitter.com/Dennis__Opel/status/1270047686964609025
https://twitter.com/DennisCraftshop/status/1270168960550354944
https://twitter.com/DennisCraftshop/status/1270890948843540480
https://twitter.com/Dennis__Opel/status/1271586105066811394
https://twitter.com/DennisCraftshop/status/1273766609375465474
https://twitter.com/DennisCraftshop/status/1274129565074382848
The Cutting Room Floor mirror:
https://tcrf.net/Prerelease:Bully_(PlayStation_2)#Dennis_Opel
https://twitter.com/Dennis__Opel/status/1269049405929213952
https://twitter.com/Dennis__Opel/status/1270047686964609025
https://twitter.com/DennisCraftshop/status/1270168960550354944
https://twitter.com/DennisCraftshop/status/1270890948843540480
https://twitter.com/Dennis__Opel/status/1271586105066811394
https://twitter.com/DennisCraftshop/status/1273766609375465474
https://twitter.com/DennisCraftshop/status/1274129565074382848
The Cutting Room Floor mirror:
https://tcrf.net/Prerelease:Bully_(PlayStation_2)#Dennis_Opel
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In a tweet by Dennis Opel (an uncredited animator for the game who mostly did fighting animations), he revealed that early in development he proposed the Boxing minigame to have more depth when it came to attacking and dodging, citing the Punch-Out!! series as an inspiration. This idea was rejected by Rockstar Vancouver.
Original Twitter/X post:
https://twitter.com/Dennis__Opel/status/1636382610753753093
The Cutting Room Floor mirror:
https://tcrf.net/Prerelease:Bully_(PlayStation_2)#Dennis_Opel
https://twitter.com/Dennis__Opel/status/1636382610753753093
The Cutting Room Floor mirror:
https://tcrf.net/Prerelease:Bully_(PlayStation_2)#Dennis_Opel
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The Breegull Bash move in the Japanese versions of Banjo-Tooie and as well as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is called ハリセンカズーイ(Harisen Kazui), which literally translated into English is "Slapping Fan Kazooie". A harisen is a giant paper fan that is typically used as part of a manzai act, where the straight man smacks the funny man in response to their jokes or foolishness. The "Fan" item that appeared in Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl is actually a harisen, and it's even called as such (はりせん) in the Japanese version of those games as well.It's worth pointing out that in general, the Japanese localizations for the Banjo-Kazooie games seem to exclude any mention of the word "Breegull", the name of Kazooie's species. This is something Masahiro Sakurai made note of when showcasing Banjo & Kazooie's moveset in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Mr. Sakurai Presents "Banjo & Kazooie":
https://youtu.be/DPh3HM6ofWU?t=294
SSBWiki article on the Fan item:
https://www.ssbwiki.com/Fan
Article on the harisen:
https://handwiki.org/wiki/Engineering:Harisen
Japanese article on BK's moveset in Smash:
http://imobatake.net/archives/363
https://youtu.be/DPh3HM6ofWU?t=294
SSBWiki article on the Fan item:
https://www.ssbwiki.com/Fan
Article on the harisen:
https://handwiki.org/wiki/Engineering:Harisen
Japanese article on BK's moveset in Smash:
http://imobatake.net/archives/363
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Concept art reveals that at one point, Jenny from "My Life as a Teenage Robot" was planned to appear in the game, but was scrapped for unknown reasons. She would become a playable character in the next game, Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots.
Collection: Shantae
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In a 2013 interview with GirlGamer.com, series co-creator Matt Bozon stated that the concept behind the title character came from his wife, Erin, who named her after a kid at a summer camp that she worked at. Matt and Erin then started bouncing ideas off of one another to develop the series' setting, lore, and other characters, with Erin particularly coming up with Shantae's signature transformation ability.
In the same interview, Bozon claimed that Shantae's hair-whip attack was his idea, and that he was inspired by Erin's own long hair, which he claimed would frequently swipe his face whenever she turned around. However, in another interview with The Mary Sue two years later, he stated that Erin came up with the concept, detailing it in her first sketches of the character.
In the same interview, Bozon claimed that Shantae's hair-whip attack was his idea, and that he was inspired by Erin's own long hair, which he claimed would frequently swipe his face whenever she turned around. However, in another interview with The Mary Sue two years later, he stated that Erin came up with the concept, detailing it in her first sketches of the character.
Archived version of the GirlGamer.com interview:
https://web.archive.org/web/20130917093704/http://www.girlgamer.com/zine/article/2985/
Nintendo Life article which reprints comments from the interview:
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/09/wayforward_fought_many_many_battles_to_keep_shantae_as_a_lead_character
The Mary Sue article:
https://www.themarysue.com/interview-with-shantae-co-creator-matt-bozon/
https://web.archive.org/web/20130917093704/http://www.girlgamer.com/zine/article/2985/
Nintendo Life article which reprints comments from the interview:
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/09/wayforward_fought_many_many_battles_to_keep_shantae_as_a_lead_character
The Mary Sue article:
https://www.themarysue.com/interview-with-shantae-co-creator-matt-bozon/
subdirectory_arrow_right Ace Attorney (Franchise)
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According to series creator Shu Takumi in a 2017 interview, Capcom executives issued two mandates affecting the writing of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. The first mandate was that the game had to include Phoenix Wright in the story, which went against Takumi's original idea for a soft reset of the series. The second mandate was to incorporate the Lay Judge system, a real-life judicial system, into the story, resulting in the creation of Spoiler:the MASON System game program and the trial run of a new Jurist System in the game's last case "Turnabout Succession". The Ace Attorney series began as a critique of how Japan's legal system handles criminal offenses, but around this time, that system was changing. While Japan previously suspended an older jurist system in 1943, their legislative body, the National Diet, gradually implemented a new lay judge system (裁判員, or "Saiban-in") from 2004 to 2009. This system, resembling more democratic systems in North American and European countries, calls upon six random common citizens to serve in serious criminal trials as inquisitorial judges sitting alongside three professional judges. Together they make up the judicial panel and actively analyze and investigate evidence presented to them throughout the trial before ruling on guilt and sentencing. Reflecting this, Spoiler:the Jurist System seen at the end of Turnabout Succession is made up of six random jurors guided by Phoenix Wright, where the player from the sixth juror's perspective has to rule the defendant Guilty or Not Guilty.
Takumi revealed that as part of the game’s promotion, Capcom collaborated with the Japanese Ministry of Justice and even gave a presentation of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney at the ministry's head office, implying that the system's mandated inclusion in the game was political propaganda. Despite Capcom cooperating in the Japanese government's push for this new system and despite participation experiences being reported as positive and easy to understand, the reception to other aspects of the system were largely negative. Complaints included gradually more severe sentencing since its implementation, the risk of criminal penalties for lay judges publicly discussing confidential deliberation room details after trials come to an end, and most starkly, calling upon Japanese citizens to put aside time to participate in the system, who have been increasingly unwilling to do so. This decline in interest has been attributed to the length of both lay judge trials and pre-trial proceedings increasing significantly over the next decade, and due to aging populations and people simply not being able to make these commitments, more citizens refused to serve or even show up to be vetted for serving, making it harder to fill out the jury.
As a result of this reception, the Ace Attorney series has not used Spoiler:the MASON System and the Jurist System since, sticking with the series' traditional Initial Trial system in future games.
Takumi revealed that as part of the game’s promotion, Capcom collaborated with the Japanese Ministry of Justice and even gave a presentation of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney at the ministry's head office, implying that the system's mandated inclusion in the game was political propaganda. Despite Capcom cooperating in the Japanese government's push for this new system and despite participation experiences being reported as positive and easy to understand, the reception to other aspects of the system were largely negative. Complaints included gradually more severe sentencing since its implementation, the risk of criminal penalties for lay judges publicly discussing confidential deliberation room details after trials come to an end, and most starkly, calling upon Japanese citizens to put aside time to participate in the system, who have been increasingly unwilling to do so. This decline in interest has been attributed to the length of both lay judge trials and pre-trial proceedings increasing significantly over the next decade, and due to aging populations and people simply not being able to make these commitments, more citizens refused to serve or even show up to be vetted for serving, making it harder to fill out the jury.
As a result of this reception, the Ace Attorney series has not used Spoiler:the MASON System and the Jurist System since, sticking with the series' traditional Initial Trial system in future games.
Apollo Justice dev team 2007 interview:
https://gyakutensaibanlibrary.blogspot.com/2016/09/4-isnt-change-from-old-to-new-but.html?m=1
Shu Takumi 2017 interview:
https://news.capcomusa.com/2017/11/18/the-making-of-apollo-justice-ace-attorney-feat-shu-takumi/
Articles explaining the lay judge system and first case under it:
https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archive/japans-new-jury-system-evaulated
https://web.archive.org/web/20160611021725/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2009/12/08/issues/ichihashi-trial-key-test-of-legal-reforms/#.V1t0vCXP1S8
Articles featuring criticisms of the lay judge system:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2009/08/03/japans-new-unpopular-jury-system/
https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00468/japan-marks-10-years-since-start-of-lay-judge-system.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20190508022405/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2019/05/05/editorials/evaluating-lay-judge-system-10-years/
https://apjjf.org/-Mark-Levin/3141/article.html
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Sexual-Violence-in-Japan%3A-Implications-of-the-Lay-Suzuki/67b28807c51160297bb80bdb3b7fdcda95f50a74?p2df
https://gyakutensaibanlibrary.blogspot.com/2016/09/4-isnt-change-from-old-to-new-but.html?m=1
Shu Takumi 2017 interview:
https://news.capcomusa.com/2017/11/18/the-making-of-apollo-justice-ace-attorney-feat-shu-takumi/
Articles explaining the lay judge system and first case under it:
https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archive/japans-new-jury-system-evaulated
https://web.archive.org/web/20160611021725/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2009/12/08/issues/ichihashi-trial-key-test-of-legal-reforms/#.V1t0vCXP1S8
Articles featuring criticisms of the lay judge system:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2009/08/03/japans-new-unpopular-jury-system/
https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00468/japan-marks-10-years-since-start-of-lay-judge-system.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20190508022405/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2019/05/05/editorials/evaluating-lay-judge-system-10-years/
https://apjjf.org/-Mark-Levin/3141/article.html
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Sexual-Violence-in-Japan%3A-Implications-of-the-Lay-Suzuki/67b28807c51160297bb80bdb3b7fdcda95f50a74?p2df
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The game was originally meant to be renamed to Darkstalkers: Jedah's Damnation for the international release, as seen in an official English-language strategy guide. However, the game retained it's Japanese name of Vampire Savior for the arcade release for reasons unknown. Eventually the game would be renamed Darkstalkers 3 for the console ports. The original name and logo can still be found within the game's files.