An Interview with a former Game Tester for NEC

[ParanoiaDragon]

OK, I added it, but again, since it's later, we shall see.

Sweet, thanks!  IIRC, it's from near the end of NEC's era, so hopefully he has some scoop on it.  That game has bugged me for over 20 years!

This reminds me, does anyone know when Paradroid & Arena 3000(I think that was the name?) were teased?  Were either of those with NEC?  Oh, I think TV Sports Baseball was NEC?

[esteban]

OK, I added it, but again, since it's later, we shall see.

Sweet, thanks!  IIRC, it's from near the end of NEC's era, so hopefully he has some scoop on it.  That game has bugged me for over 20 years!

This reminds me, does anyone know when Paradroid & Arena 3000(I think that was the name?) were teased?  Were either of those with NEC?  Oh, I think TV Sports Baseball was NEC?

I think we are two folks MOST INTERESTED IN RIFT WAR SAGA!!!!!!!

Cinemaware went bankrupt and NEC finished the projects...but I think they simply contracted services to "finish them up" ....

http://archives.tg-16.com/turbo_play_0007.htm#dave_riordan_and_cinemawares_demise


TV SPORTS Baseball
TV SPORTS Hockey
TV SPORTS Basketball
It Came From The Desert
Lords of the Rising Sun

And...something I have been curious about...

TV SPORTS CD ROM collection (with all games on it, possible pack-in)

[elmer]

Cinemaware went bankrupt and NEC finished the projects...but I think they simply contracted services to "finish them up" ....

I always assumed that it was "ACME Interactive", the company that Bob Jacobs started after Cinemaware, that finished off the games for NEC. All of the familiar names are in the credits ... and there was an HU7 dev kit hanging around the office and gathering dust.

If you're into video game development history, you'll find that lots of the LA-based development studios of the 90's had a first or second degree-of-separation with Bob.

[esteban]

Cinemaware went bankrupt and NEC finished the projects...but I think they simply contracted services to "finish them up" ....

I always assumed that it was "ACME Interactive", the company that Bob Jacobs started after Cinemaware, that finished off the games for NEC. All of the familiar names are in the credits ... and there was an HU7 dev kit hanging around the office and gathering dust.

If you're into video game development history, you'll find that lots of the LA-based development studios of the 90's had a first or second degree-of-separation with Bob.

Thank you! I have been wondering about this for quite some time... Any additional info/ context would be wonderful!

[clackattack]

Where they odd rules when deciding what games where imported to the U.S.?  Like Sega Saturn NA CEO announcing no 2D games 3D is the future.

I too would be interested in knowing this, especially since the PCEngine had such a massive library compared to our TG releases.

Q: Any cool prototype hardware that you were aware of that never saw the light of day? Maybe a light gun or a radical steering wheel?

[ParanoiaDragon]

Yikes, didn't remember Cyborg 297, sounds cool, color me intrigued.  Sounds like these games were featured on a video tape, I want that damn tape!!  That description of Arena 300 sounds slightly familiar, but I remember just seeing the name listed on some NEC pamphlet BITD.  And TV Sport CD Rom collection, forgot about that.  Always wondered if there were any enhancements planned, though, probably not.

So, games to add to the list of questions are:
Paradroid
Arena 3000
Cyborg 297
TV Sports Baseball
TV Sports CD collection(might have been TTI)
Discus
Astralius
Aesop's Fables(I think that was the name, though, this may have been TTI)
There was a hack n' slash that my friends, friends dad was involved in.  Don't know the name, always wondered if it was Riftwar Saga.

Devices, to add:
NID

[henrycsc]

Henry!  First, thank you for setting this interview up.  Second, do you know how much knowledge this person will really have to answer these questions?  I know people that have game tested before and they knew very little of subjects being asked in this thread.  Still though, I am excited to see what insight he can give us.  These are some fun questions.  Thanks again for doing this.

You're welcome.  Yeah, I've been wanting to quiz him, but I agree that his info may be limited (certainly regards to corporate plans, etc.)  I'll toss him the questions to "answer what you can, or skip if you don't know anything about it."

He was indeed there at the time NEC ended support, so I'd love to hear more about how that affected people there.  I'm pretty sure they worked together back then because he has mentioned at least 2 other co-testers to me in past correspondence.

I'm sure he'll remember if the big dogs brought in pizza puffs!

[elmer]

Thank you! I have been wondering about this for quite some time... Any additional info/ context would be wonderful!

I checked with one of the programmers hired back from the ashes of Cinemaware at the start of ACME Interactive, and apparently the NEC projects pretty much just switched from one company to the other ... basically a lot of the same staff.

TV Sports Boxing became ABC's Wide World of Sports Boxing in the US.

Mass Media was formed by some of the guys that didn't move to ACME.

ACME later on merged with Malibu Comics to become Malibu Interactive ... and then collapsed. After that, Bob co-founded Interactive Studio Management and became a business agent for independent developers ... and so links to LOTS of companies.

From out of ACME/Malibu, you get Neversoft, Left Field Productions, Paradox Development and Clockwork Tortoise (but C.T. collapsed before they shipped anything). Black Ops Entertainment fits in there too, somewhere, but I was never quite sure where.

[ParanoiaDragon]

Crap, I forgot about TV Sports Boxing, I think that was also on some "to be released" lists BITD.

[henrycsc]

First questions answered.  I will try to edit the look of the first post to make it an easier read (when I get further updates.)