Trivia Browser
![Hi-Octane](/media/boxart/5/5124.png)
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According to developer Peter Molyneux in a 2019 interview, the different speed stats for the game's vehicles are entirely for show, and they all drive at the same speed. The lack of different vehicle speeds was due to time constraints stemming from a roughly six and a half week development period, but just seeing supposedly different speed stats when selecting a vehicle seemed to fool critics and players into thinking they were different at the time. Molyneux credits this concession for allowing Bullfrog Productions to focus more time into developing Dungeon Keeper, which would not release until nearly two years after Hi-Octane came out. It's rumored that early builds of Hi-Octane did have different vehicle speeds that were slowly worked on by the development team in their downtime as a side project. Molyneux claimed that this rumor was likely true, but that due to the same time constraints, they could not have made enough progress for the vehicle changes to be implemented into the final game.
![Kien](/media/boxart/5/5094.png)
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Kien was originally developed between 2002 and 2004 by AgeOfGames, a group of five Italian developers who had no prior experience making video games, aiming to be the first company in their country to develop a game for the Game Boy Advance. The game's release would end up being cancelled three separate times when multiple publishers picked up the game and then decided that releasing it would be too risky for sales. At the time, the game was completed and sent to gaming publications, with one known review appearing in the American magazine Nintendo Power in 2003. The game remained unreleased for over 20 years, but a prototype ROM of it did leak online at one point. Game designer Fabio Belsanti would be the only member of the game's original development team to remain at AgeOfGames, who had shifted to developing educational games to stay afloat. Eventually, with the rising popularity in retro games and lowered cost to produce GBA cartridges, AgeOfGames was able to release Kien in 2024 both digitally and on physical cartridges through retro game publisher Incube8 Games. The game's release garnered attention for it possibly having taken the record for the longest delayed video game release in history, surpassing Duke Nukem Forever and Beyond Good & Evil 2 by taking 22 years to release.
DidYouKnowGaming video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RuAKtb2too#t=2128s
Assorted pre-release gameplay of Kien from the early 2000's on IGN's YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPijGVE9G1U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-opVqCKlYA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfRViZPwHAM
Incube8 Games trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti1Ul0y6ZcQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuuIAX-N2SQ
Nintendo Power Issue #173 (November 2003) (Page 154 in the magazine):
https://archive.org/details/nintendo-power-issue-173-november-2003/page/154/mode/2up
Destructoid article:
https://www.destructoid.com/thrice-canceled-gba-game-kien-is-finally-getting-released-22-years-after-completion/
Engadget article:
https://www.engadget.com/possibly-the-most-delayed-video-game-in-history-is-finally-available-on-the-game-boy-advance-205150837.html
RPGGamer article:
https://rpgamer.com/2024/06/game-boy-advance-title-kien-released/
The Guardian article:
https://www.theguardian.com/games/article/2024/jul/04/kein-the-most-delayed-video-game-in-history-released-after-22-years
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RuAKtb2too#t=2128s
Assorted pre-release gameplay of Kien from the early 2000's on IGN's YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPijGVE9G1U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-opVqCKlYA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfRViZPwHAM
Incube8 Games trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti1Ul0y6ZcQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuuIAX-N2SQ
Nintendo Power Issue #173 (November 2003) (Page 154 in the magazine):
https://archive.org/details/nintendo-power-issue-173-november-2003/page/154/mode/2up
Destructoid article:
https://www.destructoid.com/thrice-canceled-gba-game-kien-is-finally-getting-released-22-years-after-completion/
Engadget article:
https://www.engadget.com/possibly-the-most-delayed-video-game-in-history-is-finally-available-on-the-game-boy-advance-205150837.html
RPGGamer article:
https://rpgamer.com/2024/06/game-boy-advance-title-kien-released/
The Guardian article:
https://www.theguardian.com/games/article/2024/jul/04/kein-the-most-delayed-video-game-in-history-released-after-22-years
![Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned](/media/boxart/5/5072.png)
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The game is notable for two puzzles considered by fans and critics to respectively be one of the best and worst ever made for an adventure game.
The puzzle "Le Serpent Rouge" ("The Red Snake") involves decoding torn-up poem stanzas by hunting for information during the game and solving geometric mapping puzzles. This puzzle was widely praised for its overarching complexity and intriguing nature regardless of the player's interest in the real-life mysteries of Rennes-le-Château, a Southern French commune crucial to the game's plot that has been covered in various books and conspiracy theories. The poem was originally included in the "Secret Files of Henri Lobineau", a 1967 dossier about the fraternal organization the Priory of Sion, and was modified to make the puzzle solvable. Lead designer Jane Jensen named it her favorite and most challenging puzzle, designing it around the game's fully controllable 3D camera.
Meanwhile, a puzzle designed by producer Steven Hill was disliked internally and was meant to be replaced with a puzzle by Jensen, but they were forced to leave it in the game due to time constraints. It starts with Gabriel Knight finding that his friend Detective Mosely arrived in France the night before in a tour group and is scheduled to rent a motorcycle that day, so he goes to rent one himself. The nearsighted rental stand clerk requires a passport to confirm arrivals, revealing that the only rides he has left are a bike saved for Mosely and a cheap scooter. To get the bike, Knight plans to disguise as Mosely by Spoiler:stealing his coat and passport, and hiding his long blonde hair in a hat, despite putting it in a visible ponytail. He then draws a mustache on Mosely's passport photo to obscure their facial differences, goes to a shed, puts masking tape on a hole in the shed door, sprays a nearby cat with water causing it to run into the tape and stick fur to it, and applies it to his face with some maple syrup from breakfast to make a fake mustache. The disguise inexplicably works, and Knight gets the bike.
Moreso than Le Serpent Rouge was praised, the disguise puzzle was roundly criticized for its lack of hints, the impossibility of Knight convincingly impersonating Mosely, and the cartoonish roundabout way of Spoiler:making the mustache clashing with the game's serious tone. Critics felt that while it was not the most difficult puzzle, the solution was too absurd for the average player to think it would work. The most scathing review came from future Valve writer Eric Wolpaw, who blamed Jensen for the poor design (it was not known at the time that she did not design it), and called the process of Spoiler:making the mustache "deranged", controversially declaring it was proof that adventure games "committed suicide". While Jensen disliked the puzzle, she thought it being the death of adventure games was "kinda overblown", and the "length of the sequence and the lack of hints" was what made it bad.
The puzzle "Le Serpent Rouge" ("The Red Snake") involves decoding torn-up poem stanzas by hunting for information during the game and solving geometric mapping puzzles. This puzzle was widely praised for its overarching complexity and intriguing nature regardless of the player's interest in the real-life mysteries of Rennes-le-Château, a Southern French commune crucial to the game's plot that has been covered in various books and conspiracy theories. The poem was originally included in the "Secret Files of Henri Lobineau", a 1967 dossier about the fraternal organization the Priory of Sion, and was modified to make the puzzle solvable. Lead designer Jane Jensen named it her favorite and most challenging puzzle, designing it around the game's fully controllable 3D camera.
Meanwhile, a puzzle designed by producer Steven Hill was disliked internally and was meant to be replaced with a puzzle by Jensen, but they were forced to leave it in the game due to time constraints. It starts with Gabriel Knight finding that his friend Detective Mosely arrived in France the night before in a tour group and is scheduled to rent a motorcycle that day, so he goes to rent one himself. The nearsighted rental stand clerk requires a passport to confirm arrivals, revealing that the only rides he has left are a bike saved for Mosely and a cheap scooter. To get the bike, Knight plans to disguise as Mosely by Spoiler:stealing his coat and passport, and hiding his long blonde hair in a hat, despite putting it in a visible ponytail. He then draws a mustache on Mosely's passport photo to obscure their facial differences, goes to a shed, puts masking tape on a hole in the shed door, sprays a nearby cat with water causing it to run into the tape and stick fur to it, and applies it to his face with some maple syrup from breakfast to make a fake mustache. The disguise inexplicably works, and Knight gets the bike.
Moreso than Le Serpent Rouge was praised, the disguise puzzle was roundly criticized for its lack of hints, the impossibility of Knight convincingly impersonating Mosely, and the cartoonish roundabout way of Spoiler:making the mustache clashing with the game's serious tone. Critics felt that while it was not the most difficult puzzle, the solution was too absurd for the average player to think it would work. The most scathing review came from future Valve writer Eric Wolpaw, who blamed Jensen for the poor design (it was not known at the time that she did not design it), and called the process of Spoiler:making the mustache "deranged", controversially declaring it was proof that adventure games "committed suicide". While Jensen disliked the puzzle, she thought it being the death of adventure games was "kinda overblown", and the "length of the sequence and the lack of hints" was what made it bad.
Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned - Le Serpent Rouge poem and walkthrough:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7b47CJrnyc
https://sierrachest.com/index.php?a=games&id=39&title=gabriel-knight-3&fld=walkthrough&pid=101
Hunting Shadows: The Making of Gabriel Knight - Chapter 5:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200513021453/https://episodiccontentmag.com/2015/11/20/hunting-shadows-the-making-of-gabriel-knight-chapter-5-of-5/
Anastasia Salter - "Jane Jensen: Gabriel Knight, Adventure Games, Hidden Objects" (2017) - Influential Video Game Designers. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1501327452. (Pages 58-60):
https://books.google.com/books?id=cPEkDgAAQBAJ
Jane Jensen Adventure Gamers interview:
https://web.archive.org/web/20190715214638/https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18170
Le Serpent Rouge real poem article:
https://www.renneslechateau.nl/2012/01/13/the-red-serpent/
Le Serpent Rouge puzzle miscellaneous Adventure Gamers acclaim:
https://web.archive.org/web/20210715000329/https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18643/page/page4/page7/page10/N100/page15
https://web.archive.org/web/20170428013712/http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/17459
https://web.archive.org/web/20170311222718/http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18586
Computer Gaming World - Issue #179, June 1999 (Page 63 in magazine):
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_179/page/n66/mode/1up?q=serpent
The Games Machine - No. 6, March 2008 (Page 68 in magazine):
https://archive.org/details/the-games-machine-italia-speciali-06/page/n67/mode/1up?q=serpent
Detective Mosely tour group context just before the puzzle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hjzZ0z4b5E
Disguise puzzle footage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hpcmJLrseI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xx3D9xb_sFg
Kotaku interview snippet:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200619041238/https://kotaku.com/how-we-survived-adventure-gamings-most-hair-tearingly-r-5903932
Computer Gaming World - Issue #189, April 2000 (Pages 74-75):
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_189
Old Man Murray (Eric Wolpaw) - Death of Adventure Games:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200405052244/http://www.oldmanmurray.com/features/79.html
Gamasutra interview mentioning impact of Old Man Murray blog post:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200618200402/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/134850/spyparty_and_the_indie_ethos_.php?page=3
GamesRadar+ article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200603224407/https://www.gamesradar.com/the-top-7-stupidest-puzzles/4/
InVisible Culture article (counterargument about the "death of adventure games"):
https://web.archive.org/web/20200622204402/http://ivc.lib.rochester.edu/the-kinesthetic-index-video-games-and-the-body-of-motion-capture/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7b47CJrnyc
https://sierrachest.com/index.php?a=games&id=39&title=gabriel-knight-3&fld=walkthrough&pid=101
Hunting Shadows: The Making of Gabriel Knight - Chapter 5:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200513021453/https://episodiccontentmag.com/2015/11/20/hunting-shadows-the-making-of-gabriel-knight-chapter-5-of-5/
Anastasia Salter - "Jane Jensen: Gabriel Knight, Adventure Games, Hidden Objects" (2017) - Influential Video Game Designers. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1501327452. (Pages 58-60):
https://books.google.com/books?id=cPEkDgAAQBAJ
Jane Jensen Adventure Gamers interview:
https://web.archive.org/web/20190715214638/https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18170
Le Serpent Rouge real poem article:
https://www.renneslechateau.nl/2012/01/13/the-red-serpent/
Le Serpent Rouge puzzle miscellaneous Adventure Gamers acclaim:
https://web.archive.org/web/20210715000329/https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18643/page/page4/page7/page10/N100/page15
https://web.archive.org/web/20170428013712/http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/17459
https://web.archive.org/web/20170311222718/http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18586
Computer Gaming World - Issue #179, June 1999 (Page 63 in magazine):
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_179/page/n66/mode/1up?q=serpent
The Games Machine - No. 6, March 2008 (Page 68 in magazine):
https://archive.org/details/the-games-machine-italia-speciali-06/page/n67/mode/1up?q=serpent
Detective Mosely tour group context just before the puzzle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hjzZ0z4b5E
Disguise puzzle footage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hpcmJLrseI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xx3D9xb_sFg
Kotaku interview snippet:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200619041238/https://kotaku.com/how-we-survived-adventure-gamings-most-hair-tearingly-r-5903932
Computer Gaming World - Issue #189, April 2000 (Pages 74-75):
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_189
Old Man Murray (Eric Wolpaw) - Death of Adventure Games:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200405052244/http://www.oldmanmurray.com/features/79.html
Gamasutra interview mentioning impact of Old Man Murray blog post:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200618200402/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/134850/spyparty_and_the_indie_ethos_.php?page=3
GamesRadar+ article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200603224407/https://www.gamesradar.com/the-top-7-stupidest-puzzles/4/
InVisible Culture article (counterargument about the "death of adventure games"):
https://web.archive.org/web/20200622204402/http://ivc.lib.rochester.edu/the-kinesthetic-index-video-games-and-the-body-of-motion-capture/
![Assassin's Creed Shadows](/media/boxart/5/5041.png)
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One of the game's dual protagonists Yasuke, an African samurai, is the first main character in the series to be based on a real historical figure, but his real-life identity and status serving under Japanese daimyo Oda Nobunaga has been the subject of a contentious debate among historians. There are few scholarly/historical resources available describing him and his life, and no known resources from when he was alive that refer to him as a samurai, with the most common belief being his title was a retainer.
His reveal as a lead in the game on May 15, 2024 caused polarizing reactions worldwide on social media. Fans critical of the decision claimed Ubisoft were going against the series' penchant for accurate historical backgrounds and misrepresented Japan, which the series had never covered in-depth, by inflating Yasuke's role in history and not having both protagonists be Japanese (the other protagonist, Naoe, is Japanese), claiming he was not actually a samurai. Fans in support of his role claiming he was actually a samurai called these objections racist and based on narrow-minded arguments and inferences, with some claiming that Asian samurai protagonists in media were oversaturated and that complaints would be the same if the game was set in Africa and starred an African protagonist. This intense fighting led to an edit war on Yasuke's English Wikipedia article, with administrators publicly calling its Talk page "a complete dumpster fire". As of July 3, the consensus that the Talk page reached appears to be that the available historical resources are inconclusive as to if he was or was not a samurai, but that scholars consistently describe Yasuke as a samurai without any sources found where scholars do not describe him as one.
This lack of clarity allows popular media to take creative liberties in adapting him, often depicting him as a high-ranking samurai, and Ubisoft seemed to take a similar direction from the outset. A press release at the game's announcement stated:
Despite the header used, the quote is carefully worded to stop short of directly calling Yasuke a samurai, with more advertising describing him as a "samurai of historical legend". Game director Charles Benoit later acknowledged his life "is surrounded by mysteries" and that "[Yasuke] told us to tell" his story seen in the game, which was also described by associate narrative director Brooke Davies as historical fiction.
Creative director Jonathan Dumont stated in interviews with Famitsu on May 15 that they chose Yasuke to fit with the story of a foreigner who fights off oppressing forces like the Portuguese slave trade, while exploring a country unknown to him alongside the player, stating that they were "first looking for "our samurai," someone who could be our non-Japanese eyes". The following day, the interviews were edited to remove this quote, and to change quotes either directly or contextually referring to Yasuke as an "outsider" to being a "foreign-born samurai". After further mounting controversy, Ubisoft posted a statement to Twitter in English and Japanese on July 23 apologizing for elements in their promotional materials that "caused concern within the Japanese community", reiterating that the game's story was intended to be historical fiction and not an accurate recreation of events, and that Yasuke's real-life status was "a matter of debate and discussion". The Japanese statement received Community Notes pointing out that the stance taken was contradictory, citing several quotes from both the Famitsu interviews and an Xbox interview that emphasized confirming historical accuracy, but was removed from the statement hours later.
His reveal as a lead in the game on May 15, 2024 caused polarizing reactions worldwide on social media. Fans critical of the decision claimed Ubisoft were going against the series' penchant for accurate historical backgrounds and misrepresented Japan, which the series had never covered in-depth, by inflating Yasuke's role in history and not having both protagonists be Japanese (the other protagonist, Naoe, is Japanese), claiming he was not actually a samurai. Fans in support of his role claiming he was actually a samurai called these objections racist and based on narrow-minded arguments and inferences, with some claiming that Asian samurai protagonists in media were oversaturated and that complaints would be the same if the game was set in Africa and starred an African protagonist. This intense fighting led to an edit war on Yasuke's English Wikipedia article, with administrators publicly calling its Talk page "a complete dumpster fire". As of July 3, the consensus that the Talk page reached appears to be that the available historical resources are inconclusive as to if he was or was not a samurai, but that scholars consistently describe Yasuke as a samurai without any sources found where scholars do not describe him as one.
This lack of clarity allows popular media to take creative liberties in adapting him, often depicting him as a high-ranking samurai, and Ubisoft seemed to take a similar direction from the outset. A press release at the game's announcement stated:
"Yasuke: A Real-Life Samurai:
Ubisoft Quebec wanted to include a Samurai, and Yasuke's story was open-ended enough to allow for creativity; there are still plenty of questions and speculation surrounding him. The fascinating facts, though, were undisputable: of African origin, he arrived in Japan enslaved by the Portuguese; he impressed with size, strength, and wits; he served under the Japanese daimyo Oda Nobunaga. There must have been something exceptional about Yasuke to succeed in the service of a personality like Nobunaga's, [...] and the goal has been to expound on this in [the game] through his curiosity, openness, respect for values and tradition, valor, warmth, and charisma."
Ubisoft Quebec wanted to include a Samurai, and Yasuke's story was open-ended enough to allow for creativity; there are still plenty of questions and speculation surrounding him. The fascinating facts, though, were undisputable: of African origin, he arrived in Japan enslaved by the Portuguese; he impressed with size, strength, and wits; he served under the Japanese daimyo Oda Nobunaga. There must have been something exceptional about Yasuke to succeed in the service of a personality like Nobunaga's, [...] and the goal has been to expound on this in [the game] through his curiosity, openness, respect for values and tradition, valor, warmth, and charisma."
Despite the header used, the quote is carefully worded to stop short of directly calling Yasuke a samurai, with more advertising describing him as a "samurai of historical legend". Game director Charles Benoit later acknowledged his life "is surrounded by mysteries" and that "[Yasuke] told us to tell" his story seen in the game, which was also described by associate narrative director Brooke Davies as historical fiction.
Creative director Jonathan Dumont stated in interviews with Famitsu on May 15 that they chose Yasuke to fit with the story of a foreigner who fights off oppressing forces like the Portuguese slave trade, while exploring a country unknown to him alongside the player, stating that they were "first looking for "our samurai," someone who could be our non-Japanese eyes". The following day, the interviews were edited to remove this quote, and to change quotes either directly or contextually referring to Yasuke as an "outsider" to being a "foreign-born samurai". After further mounting controversy, Ubisoft posted a statement to Twitter in English and Japanese on July 23 apologizing for elements in their promotional materials that "caused concern within the Japanese community", reiterating that the game's story was intended to be historical fiction and not an accurate recreation of events, and that Yasuke's real-life status was "a matter of debate and discussion". The Japanese statement received Community Notes pointing out that the stance taken was contradictory, citing several quotes from both the Famitsu interviews and an Xbox interview that emphasized confirming historical accuracy, but was removed from the statement hours later.
Game website with "samurai of historical legend" quote:
https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/assassins-creed/shadows
Ubisoft press release:
https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/2LH4Ael4X1TlNJY3B3aYg5/assassins-creed-shadows-launches-november-15-features-dual-protagonists-in-feudal-japan
Ubisoft Forward - June 10, 2024:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPoJUPrCkkg#t=4602s
IGN Japan interview with Brooke Davies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqwitaREyd0
Ubisoft article with several videos explaining historical backgrounds behind previous Assassin's Creed games:
https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/6d4zQXyH0VF6z75Ab7jfss/discover-the-real-history-behind-every-assassins-creed
IGN articles:
https://www.ign.com/articles/when-and-where-is-assassins-creed-shadows-set
https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-shadows-yasuke-asian-protagonist
TheGamer article:
https://www.thegamer.com/african-assassins-creed-shadows-controversy/
Time article:
https://time.com/6978997/assassins-creed-shadow-yasuke-controversy/
Forbes article mentioning Wikipedia edit war and international reactions:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2024/05/15/japanese-fans-are-puzzled-that-yasuke-is-in-assassins-creed-shadows/
Yasuke English Wikipedia article (Note: while much of this controversy occurred on English language Wikipedia, bear in mind that Wikipedia articles by themselves are not reliable sources for historical research, and the English article is not a uniform representation of the information on Yasuke across the different language versions of Wikipedia that have this article. There are varying primary, secondary, historical and pop culture sources suggested for and used in all of these articles either backing up verified information about him, or making different claims that may not be accurate.):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasuke
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Yasuke
Wikipedia administrator discussion:
https://web.archive.org/web/20240518220622/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/Incidents#Talk:Yasuke_is_a_complete_dumpster_fire
Earliest archive of original Famitsu interview (in Japanese; English machine translations for all archives of this article compared between Google Translate and DeepL prior to publishing this submission. Deleted quote in Japanese is "まず“私たちの侍”、つまり日本人ではない私たちの目になれる人物を探していましたが、これは") (May 15):
https://web.archive.org/web/20240515185159/https://www.famitsu.com/article/202405/5194
Archived edited interview (May 16):
https://web.archive.org/web/20240516194746/https://www.famitsu.com/article/202405/5194
Latest archived edit (May 18):
https://web.archive.org/web/20240518034336/https://www.famitsu.com/article/202405/5194
Ubisoft July statement (in English and Japanese; third link contains archived screenshots of the Japanese Community Notes):
https://x.com/assassinscreed/status/1815674592444187116
https://x.com/UBISOFT_JAPAN/status/1815674629643719061
https://x.com/DLibryum/status/1816342689127772542
Xbox interview:
https://news.xbox.com/ja-jp/2024/05/16/assassins-creed-shadows-interview/
https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/assassins-creed/shadows
Ubisoft press release:
https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/2LH4Ael4X1TlNJY3B3aYg5/assassins-creed-shadows-launches-november-15-features-dual-protagonists-in-feudal-japan
Ubisoft Forward - June 10, 2024:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPoJUPrCkkg#t=4602s
IGN Japan interview with Brooke Davies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqwitaREyd0
Ubisoft article with several videos explaining historical backgrounds behind previous Assassin's Creed games:
https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/6d4zQXyH0VF6z75Ab7jfss/discover-the-real-history-behind-every-assassins-creed
IGN articles:
https://www.ign.com/articles/when-and-where-is-assassins-creed-shadows-set
https://www.ign.com/articles/assassins-creed-shadows-yasuke-asian-protagonist
TheGamer article:
https://www.thegamer.com/african-assassins-creed-shadows-controversy/
Time article:
https://time.com/6978997/assassins-creed-shadow-yasuke-controversy/
Forbes article mentioning Wikipedia edit war and international reactions:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2024/05/15/japanese-fans-are-puzzled-that-yasuke-is-in-assassins-creed-shadows/
Yasuke English Wikipedia article (Note: while much of this controversy occurred on English language Wikipedia, bear in mind that Wikipedia articles by themselves are not reliable sources for historical research, and the English article is not a uniform representation of the information on Yasuke across the different language versions of Wikipedia that have this article. There are varying primary, secondary, historical and pop culture sources suggested for and used in all of these articles either backing up verified information about him, or making different claims that may not be accurate.):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasuke
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Yasuke
Wikipedia administrator discussion:
https://web.archive.org/web/20240518220622/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/Incidents#Talk:Yasuke_is_a_complete_dumpster_fire
Earliest archive of original Famitsu interview (in Japanese; English machine translations for all archives of this article compared between Google Translate and DeepL prior to publishing this submission. Deleted quote in Japanese is "まず“私たちの侍”、つまり日本人ではない私たちの目になれる人物を探していましたが、これは") (May 15):
https://web.archive.org/web/20240515185159/https://www.famitsu.com/article/202405/5194
Archived edited interview (May 16):
https://web.archive.org/web/20240516194746/https://www.famitsu.com/article/202405/5194
Latest archived edit (May 18):
https://web.archive.org/web/20240518034336/https://www.famitsu.com/article/202405/5194
Ubisoft July statement (in English and Japanese; third link contains archived screenshots of the Japanese Community Notes):
https://x.com/assassinscreed/status/1815674592444187116
https://x.com/UBISOFT_JAPAN/status/1815674629643719061
https://x.com/DLibryum/status/1816342689127772542
Xbox interview:
https://news.xbox.com/ja-jp/2024/05/16/assassins-creed-shadows-interview/
![Stellar Blade](/media/boxart/5/4782.png)
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Sexualization complaints:
https://www.denofgeek.com/games/stellar-blade-controversy-explained/
South Korean rating:
https://en.as.com/meristation/news/stellar-blade-gets-an-adults-only-rating-due-to-nudity-and-explicit-gore-n/
Design choice quote:
https://fandomwire.com/hyung-tae-kim-stellar-blade-avoid-controversy/
Day 1 patch censorship:
https://esports.gg/news/stellar-blade/players-outraged-at-unexpected-stellar-blade-outfit-censorship/
Compilation of outfits in base game before Day 1 patch (uncensored versions of Cybernetic Bondage at 2:30, and Holiday Rabbit at 4:52):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMT6z9xejeA
Compilation of outfits after Day 1 patch (censored versions of Cybernetic Bondage at 1:03, Holiday Rabbit at 2:19, and Moutan Peony at 3:02):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAcvYBGPoGk
Nano Suit tutorial pop-up montage with uncensored Moutan Peony costume (this is the only footage I could find of anyone sitting through this video start to finish):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHJhViruQKM?t=3761
Stellar Blade uncensored claim tweet:
https://twitter.com/StellarBlade/status/1781976139688534449
Video of Hyung-Tae Kim defending update changes:
https://www.reddit.com/r/stellarblade/comments/1cdlllp/directors_answer_to_the_change_in_the_outfitvideo/
GameAbout interview with Kim (article in Korean):
https://www.gameabout.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=87017
Holiday Rabbit and Cybernetic Bondage costume reversal:
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2024/05/stellar-blade-ps5-quietly-adds-uncensored-new-costumes-in-controversy-aftermath
IGN interview with Yoko Taro and Kim:
https://www.ign.com/articles/stellar-blade-x-nier-automata-taro-yoko-hyung-tae-kim
https://www.denofgeek.com/games/stellar-blade-controversy-explained/
South Korean rating:
https://en.as.com/meristation/news/stellar-blade-gets-an-adults-only-rating-due-to-nudity-and-explicit-gore-n/
Design choice quote:
https://fandomwire.com/hyung-tae-kim-stellar-blade-avoid-controversy/
Day 1 patch censorship:
https://esports.gg/news/stellar-blade/players-outraged-at-unexpected-stellar-blade-outfit-censorship/
Compilation of outfits in base game before Day 1 patch (uncensored versions of Cybernetic Bondage at 2:30, and Holiday Rabbit at 4:52):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMT6z9xejeA
Compilation of outfits after Day 1 patch (censored versions of Cybernetic Bondage at 1:03, Holiday Rabbit at 2:19, and Moutan Peony at 3:02):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAcvYBGPoGk
Nano Suit tutorial pop-up montage with uncensored Moutan Peony costume (this is the only footage I could find of anyone sitting through this video start to finish):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHJhViruQKM?t=3761
Stellar Blade uncensored claim tweet:
https://twitter.com/StellarBlade/status/1781976139688534449
Video of Hyung-Tae Kim defending update changes:
https://www.reddit.com/r/stellarblade/comments/1cdlllp/directors_answer_to_the_change_in_the_outfitvideo/
GameAbout interview with Kim (article in Korean):
https://www.gameabout.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=87017
Holiday Rabbit and Cybernetic Bondage costume reversal:
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2024/05/stellar-blade-ps5-quietly-adds-uncensored-new-costumes-in-controversy-aftermath
IGN interview with Yoko Taro and Kim:
https://www.ign.com/articles/stellar-blade-x-nier-automata-taro-yoko-hyung-tae-kim
![The Witch and the Hundred Knight](/media/boxart/5/5004.png)
subdirectory_arrow_right The Witch and the Hundred Knight: Revival Edition (Game)
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A major bug in The Witch and the Hundred Knight that can occur at seemingly any time will force the game to return to the system menu, losing all unsaved progress as a result. This became a common critique in the game's reviews, leading it to not be received as favorably by some. While The Witch and the Hundred Knight: Revival Edition did not fully fix this glitch, it occurs much less frequently, with playing for extended periods of time being noted as a possible factor.
Cubed3 review of the original version:
http://www.cubed3.com/review/1420/1/the-witch-and-the-hundred-knight-playstation-3.html
Cubed3 review of the Revival Edition:
http://www.cubed3.com/review/2786/1/the-witch-and-the-hundred-knight-revival-edition-playstation-4.html
http://www.cubed3.com/review/1420/1/the-witch-and-the-hundred-knight-playstation-3.html
Cubed3 review of the Revival Edition:
http://www.cubed3.com/review/2786/1/the-witch-and-the-hundred-knight-revival-edition-playstation-4.html
![Stellar Blade](/media/boxart/5/4782.png)
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IGN article:
https://www.ign.com/articles/sony-says-racist-phrase-in-stellar-blade-was-unintentional-will-be-patched-out
Kotaku article with updated graphic:
https://kotaku.com/stellar-blade-ps5-racism-day-one-patch-1851432185
Wikitionary and Urban Dictionary entries for "Hard R":
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hard_r
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hard+R
Discovery tweet:
https://twitter.com/manfightdragon/status/1783133869912539521
Patch tweet:
https://twitter.com/manfightdragon/status/1783158271400182223
Stellar Blade uncensored claim tweet:
https://twitter.com/StellarBlade/status/1781976139688534449
https://www.ign.com/articles/sony-says-racist-phrase-in-stellar-blade-was-unintentional-will-be-patched-out
Kotaku article with updated graphic:
https://kotaku.com/stellar-blade-ps5-racism-day-one-patch-1851432185
Wikitionary and Urban Dictionary entries for "Hard R":
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hard_r
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hard+R
Discovery tweet:
https://twitter.com/manfightdragon/status/1783133869912539521
Patch tweet:
https://twitter.com/manfightdragon/status/1783158271400182223
Stellar Blade uncensored claim tweet:
https://twitter.com/StellarBlade/status/1781976139688534449
![SimCity](/media/boxart/5/5008.png)
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![Attachment](/media/thumbs/8/18750.png)
According to programmer Don Hopkins, who notably ported SimCity to numerous versions of Unix, Maxis ended up getting sued by Toho, the owners of the Godzilla franchise; additional details were recounted to him by Maxis CEO Jeff Braun:
"We never referred to the name Godzilla, our monster on the box cover was a T-Rex looking character, but... a few magazine reviews called the monster, Godzilla. That was all it took. Toho called it "confusion in the marketplace". We paid $50k for Godzilla to go away. In all honesty, Toho liked Maxis, they said $50k was the minimum they take for Godzilla infringement."
As a result of this suit, the monster was redesigned in the v1.2 release to resemble a giant orange salamander. The creature's roar is also changed and the game's box art is redesigned to replace the Godzilla parody with a tornado. In the v1.3 release, the salamander is given a slightly larger and more detailed sprite to fit the revised art style, but its roar (now internally renamed "Monster") is corrupted.
The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/SimCity_(Mac_OS_Classic)#Godzilla_vs._Notzilla
Don Hopkins testimony in a Hacker News post:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40050799
MobyGames gallery showcasing the different box art designs:
https://www.mobygames.com/game/848/simcity/covers/
https://tcrf.net/SimCity_(Mac_OS_Classic)#Godzilla_vs._Notzilla
Don Hopkins testimony in a Hacker News post:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40050799
MobyGames gallery showcasing the different box art designs:
https://www.mobygames.com/game/848/simcity/covers/
![Advanced Lawnmower Simulator](/media/boxart/5/4812.png)
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Advanced Lawnmower Simulator was originally just a joke game reviewed in an April Fools edition of Your Sinclair Magazine, which received a 9 out of 10 and teased several other humorously mundane hygiene-based games by "Gardensoft" such as a launderette game. Over time, this game would be mentioned more beyond the April issue, with fake letters in the Letters section detailing a humorous fictional story about the game being stolen, until it culminated with the game's release on a cover disc in Issue 45, released a year and a half after the game was first mentioned.
![Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson](/media/boxart/2/1971.png)
subdirectory_arrow_right Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven (Game)
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![Bubsy 3D](/media/boxart/1/498.png)
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While Bubsy 3D is often considered to have killed the Bubsy franchise until its revival in the late 2010s, the franchise was not killed by Accolade as one may expect. Accolade wanted a new installment titled Bubsy 4 (Bubsy in Fractured Furry Tales not being considered part of the franchise's official numbering) after Bubsy 3D's release, but series creator Michael Berlyn was the one who pulled the plug on the franchise, believing that Bubsy 2 and Bubsy 3D had dealt too much damage to it:
"I pitched [Sparky and Bolt, an unmade, Jetsons-inspired game] to Accolade, and Accolade said, "Ummmmm, I don’t think so. We’re more interested in a Bubsy 4." And I said, "I really think Bubsy’s dead by now. Between what you guys did with Bubsy 2 and what I did with Bubsy 3D, it’s time to move on." They didn’t agree."
Franchise: Sonic The Hedgehog
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![Attachment](/media/thumbs/8/18082.png)
![God of War Ragnarök](/media/boxart/4/3301.png)
subdirectory_arrow_right Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (Game)
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During The Game Awards 2022, Christopher Judge's acceptance speech for the "Best Performance" award (given to him for his performance as Kratos in God of War Ragnarök) ran for 7 minutes and 59 seconds. This speech has been noted for surpassing the Guinness World Record for the "Longest speech accepting an Oscar award" that is currently held by actress Greer Garson for her speech at the 15th Academy Awards in 1943, which lasted for 5 minutes and 30 seconds. The length of Judge's speech was referenced during his appearance at The Game Awards 2023, where he presented that year's award for "Best Performance". Prior to announcing the nominees, he took the opportunity to poke fun at the length of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III's campaign, claiming "my speech last year was longer than this year's Call of Duty campaign". Following the ceremony, several developers who currently and formerly worked on the Call of Duty series responded negatively to the roast, with Sledgehammer Games engineer Darcy Sandall saying:
It's worth noting that both before and after release, Modern Warfare III's campaign mode was heavily criticized, with many describing it as shallow, short, rushed, and disappointing in spite of its technical aspects.
"Honestly, as COD developers, we've heard way worse. But we don't expect it from a peer, at an event that supposed to be celebrating this years achievements in gaming. Especially with all the information that was leaked about it's development."
It's worth noting that both before and after release, Modern Warfare III's campaign mode was heavily criticized, with many describing it as shallow, short, rushed, and disappointing in spite of its technical aspects.
New world record article:
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2022/12/random-kratos-actors-epic-god-of-war-ragnarok-award-speech-broke-a-world-record
Guinness World Record for "Longest speech accepting an Oscar award":
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/69853-longest-speech-accepting-an-oscar-award/
Call of Duty devs response:
https://www.ign.com/articles/call-of-duty-devs-are-a-little-peeved-at-christopher-judges-dig-during-the-game-awards
Darcy Sandall statement:
https://x.com/darcy_sandall/status/1733031322610958377?s=20
Modern Warfare III campaign criticism (pre-release):
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/review/modern-warfare-3/
https://www.ign.com/articles/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3-single-player-campaign-review
https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23949450/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3-campaign-review
https://kotaku.com/call-duty-modern-warfare-3-mwiii-dlc-rush-crunch-1851009723
Modern Warfare III campaign criticism (post-release):
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10096943-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3-review-gameplay-impressions-for-campaign-multiplayer
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2022/12/random-kratos-actors-epic-god-of-war-ragnarok-award-speech-broke-a-world-record
Guinness World Record for "Longest speech accepting an Oscar award":
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/69853-longest-speech-accepting-an-oscar-award/
Call of Duty devs response:
https://www.ign.com/articles/call-of-duty-devs-are-a-little-peeved-at-christopher-judges-dig-during-the-game-awards
Darcy Sandall statement:
https://x.com/darcy_sandall/status/1733031322610958377?s=20
Modern Warfare III campaign criticism (pre-release):
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/review/modern-warfare-3/
https://www.ign.com/articles/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3-single-player-campaign-review
https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23949450/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3-campaign-review
https://kotaku.com/call-duty-modern-warfare-3-mwiii-dlc-rush-crunch-1851009723
Modern Warfare III campaign criticism (post-release):
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10096943-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3-review-gameplay-impressions-for-campaign-multiplayer
![Skullgirls](/media/boxart/2/1087.png)
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Skullheart Forum official patch notes:
https://skullheart.com/threads/official-content-updates-and-revisions.11921/
Community statement from game director Charley Price:
https://forum.skullgirlsmobile.com/threads/official-skullgirls-content-updates-revisions.20180/
Two-part update comparison videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL18fryeqUg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5PJL8VMxDo
Update details article:
https://www.eurogamer.net/skullgirls-update-changes-content-developer-felt-was-in-poor-taste
Review bombing article:
https://www.pcgamer.com/skullgirls-bombarded-by-negative-steam-reviews-after-devs-alter-old-artwork-they-felt-was-in-poor-taste/
General article:
https://www.techradar.com/gaming/skullgirls-has-received-a-cosmetic-update-and-fans-are-displeased
"Keep Skullgirls Growing" Indiegogo campaign:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/keep-skullgirls-growing#/
Overwhelmingly negative reviews tweet:
https://twitter.com/FGC_Daily/status/1675870761007939585
https://skullheart.com/threads/official-content-updates-and-revisions.11921/
Community statement from game director Charley Price:
https://forum.skullgirlsmobile.com/threads/official-skullgirls-content-updates-revisions.20180/
Two-part update comparison videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL18fryeqUg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5PJL8VMxDo
Update details article:
https://www.eurogamer.net/skullgirls-update-changes-content-developer-felt-was-in-poor-taste
Review bombing article:
https://www.pcgamer.com/skullgirls-bombarded-by-negative-steam-reviews-after-devs-alter-old-artwork-they-felt-was-in-poor-taste/
General article:
https://www.techradar.com/gaming/skullgirls-has-received-a-cosmetic-update-and-fans-are-displeased
"Keep Skullgirls Growing" Indiegogo campaign:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/keep-skullgirls-growing#/
Overwhelmingly negative reviews tweet:
https://twitter.com/FGC_Daily/status/1675870761007939585
![Cuphead](/media/boxart/3/2148.png)
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On August 24, 2017, a video was uploaded by gaming news outlet VentureBeat where lead writer Dean Takahashi, who specializes in general industry articles, strategy games and first/third person shooters and normally does not cover platformers or sidescrolling action games because by the outlet's own admission he was extremely bad at them, recorded a gameplay demonstration of him playing the Gamescom 2017 demo for Cuphead due to him being the only one on staff at Gamescom. This footage is notorious for the first two and a half minutes where he struggles to complete the game's tutorial, before struggling to play for another 23 minutes under conditions that were made intentionally easier for the game's demo such as increased health and instant access to some stronger unlockable charms like Spread. VentureBeat knew the footage was bad, but uploaded it anyways and drew attention to Takahashi's poor gameplay in the video title, calling it "shameful". However, VentureBeat initially did not explain the full context of the footage in the video description, and due to Gamescom being held one month prior to Cuphead's release, the clip was passed around out of context leading people to believe he was doing a full review of the game and trying to make a point of it being too difficult. In reality, the video was posted alongside an article about the demo by Takahashi to VentureBeat that regularly acknowledges his poor skill at the game; he also called Cuphead a fun game that showed "why making hard games that depend on skill is like a lost art". Regardless, the footage still drew extreme negative backlash and harassment towards him and claims that he was unfit to be a game journalist. Takahashi's response to the controversy spurred more controversy after he accused people attacking the footage of being connected to the 2014 #Gamergate movement, when one week prior to responding, he published an article promoting the idea of a "leisure economy" that stems from game journalists among others being paid to play games, and promoting the fact that he had been reviewing games for 21 years up to that point.
Cuphead Dean Takahashi Gamescom 2017 footage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=848Y1Uu5Htk
Earliest archived video page prior to description updates:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170902001715/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=848Y1Uu5Htk
Earliest archive of Dean Takahashi Cuphead article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170909095947/https://venturebeat.com/2017/08/24/cuphead-hands-on-my-26-minutes-of-shame-with-an-old-time-cartoon-game/
Earliest archive of Dean Takahashi leisure economy/experience article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170901192804/https://venturebeat.com/2017/09/01/the-deanbeat-the-leisure-economy-where-we-all-get-paid-to-play-games
Earliest archive of Dean Takahashi Cuphead response article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170908155049/https://venturebeat.com/2017/09/08/the-deanbeat-our-cuphead-runneth-over
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=848Y1Uu5Htk
Earliest archived video page prior to description updates:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170902001715/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=848Y1Uu5Htk
Earliest archive of Dean Takahashi Cuphead article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170909095947/https://venturebeat.com/2017/08/24/cuphead-hands-on-my-26-minutes-of-shame-with-an-old-time-cartoon-game/
Earliest archive of Dean Takahashi leisure economy/experience article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170901192804/https://venturebeat.com/2017/09/01/the-deanbeat-the-leisure-economy-where-we-all-get-paid-to-play-games
Earliest archive of Dean Takahashi Cuphead response article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170908155049/https://venturebeat.com/2017/09/08/the-deanbeat-our-cuphead-runneth-over
![Braid](/media/boxart/4/3360.png)
subdirectory_arrow_right Number None Inc. (Company)
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When Braid first released, its creator Jonathan Blow was not happy about the reception the game received, despite much of it being overwhelmingly positive, as he felt players didn't catch on to its deeper themes and messages, and only cared about its aesthetic and puzzles. This view of his game's success has made him a contentious figure, with particular infamy being drawn from his appearance in the 2012 documentary film Indie Game: The Movie, which has a scene of him silently contemplating in a dark room, while audio from a video of rapper Soulja Boy having fun with the game while completely ignoring its plot plays in the background.
![Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust](/media/boxart/4/4109.png)
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This game is the second Leisure Suit Larry game to feature no involvement from series creator Al Lowe. Around the time the game was released, Lowe wrote this testimony about the game on his blog:
Lowe then proceeded to list several negative reviews of the game from various major outlets, before concluding with:
"All I know about BOB is what I've read online. VU [Vivendi Games] (and later Activision, Team 17 and Codemasters) did not consult me nor discuss anything about this game with me. In fact, they've expressed no interest in me whatsoever! For a while, I hoped that they would remember to send me a review copy. Now that the reviews are in, it's just as well that they didn't!
In case you missed the news, Sierra announced another Larry Lovage game (although this time they spelled his name with an extra "E" i.e., "Loveage" ): Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust. A few months later, after Activision merged with VU, they cancelled it, along with many other VU titles. In early 2009, the game's developer Team 17 announced that Codemasters had picked up the title. It was released at the end of March. No advance copies were released to reviewers (always an ominous sign).
Originally, the game's Executive Producer, John Melchior, claimed it had "open world sand box gameplay," racing, platforming, and puzzles and yet also repeated four times that "it's an adventure game." As another warning sign that rarely bodes well for good gameplay, Larry BOB proudly features its voiceover talent, which includes some D-list "stars." Mr. Melchior wanted to make a game that "Al Lowe would like to play." I wonder why he didn't just ask me?
Ah, well; it can't be worse than Magna Cum Laude, can it?
Now that the reviews are in, the answer is: Yes, it can!"
In case you missed the news, Sierra announced another Larry Lovage game (although this time they spelled his name with an extra "E" i.e., "Loveage" ): Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust. A few months later, after Activision merged with VU, they cancelled it, along with many other VU titles. In early 2009, the game's developer Team 17 announced that Codemasters had picked up the title. It was released at the end of March. No advance copies were released to reviewers (always an ominous sign).
Originally, the game's Executive Producer, John Melchior, claimed it had "open world sand box gameplay," racing, platforming, and puzzles and yet also repeated four times that "it's an adventure game." As another warning sign that rarely bodes well for good gameplay, Larry BOB proudly features its voiceover talent, which includes some D-list "stars." Mr. Melchior wanted to make a game that "Al Lowe would like to play." I wonder why he didn't just ask me?
Ah, well; it can't be worse than Magna Cum Laude, can it?
Now that the reviews are in, the answer is: Yes, it can!"
Lowe then proceeded to list several negative reviews of the game from various major outlets, before concluding with:
"My Take: Thank you, VU Games, for keeping me completely away from this latest disaster!"
![Kao the Kangaroo](/media/boxart/4/4092.png)
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During development, Kao's name was originally going to be Denis the Kangaroo. This is reflected in some early reviews of the game at the time, which still refer to him as Denis.
Kao the Kangaroo reviews:
https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/12/13/kao-the-kangaroo-2
https://www.eurogamer.net/p-kao-dc
https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/12/13/kao-the-kangaroo-2
https://www.eurogamer.net/p-kao-dc
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