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Gee Bee (video Game)
is a block breaker/video pinball hybrid arcade game developed and published by Namco in 1978. The player controls a set of paddles with a rotary knob, with the objective being to score as many points as possible by deflecting a ball against bricks, pop bumpers and other objects in the playfield. It was developed by Toru Iwatani, known as the creator of '' Pac-Man'' and '' Pole Position''. Outside Japan, it was published by Gremlin Industries. ''Gee Bee'' was the first video game to be designed in-house by Namco – prior to this, the company had manufactured arcade electro-mechanical games (such as ''Periscope'' and '' F-1'') and published a number of video games by Atari, Inc. (notably '' Breakout'') in Japan. Iwatani originally wanted to produce pinball machines for the company; however, higher-ups at Namco disapproved of the idea. As a compromise, Iwatani instead made a video game with pinball-elements, combined with mechanics established in ''Breakout''. ''Gee Bee'' was the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Namco
was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Namco Taiwan in Kaohsiung, and Shanghai Namco in mainland China. Namco was founded by Masaya Nakamura (businessman), Masaya Nakamura on June 1, 1955, as beginning as an operator of coin-operated amusement rides. After reorganizing to Nakamura Seisakusho Co., Ltd. in 1959, a partnership with Walt Disney Productions provided the company with the resources to expand its operations. In the 1960s, it manufactured Electro-mechanical game, electro-mechanical arcade games such as the 1965 hit ''Periscope (arcade game), Periscope''. It entered the video game industry after acquiring the struggling Japanese division of Atari, Inc., Atari in 1974, distributing games such as ''Breakout (video game), Breakout'' in Japan. The company renamed itself Namco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cutie Q
is a 1979 block breaker/video pinball hybrid arcade game developed and published by Namco in Japan. The player controls a set of paddles with a rotary knob, the objective being to score as many points possible by deflecting a ball against blocks, ghosts, spinners and other objects on the playfield. It was designed by Shigeru Yokoyama, with spritework done by Toru Iwatani. It is the third and final game in the '' Gee Bee'' trilogy. ''Cutie Q'' is described as Namco's first "character game", thanks to its use of colorful and cute character designs, a choice that would be a major influence on Iwatani's next project, ''Pac-Man''. The title was derived from the band Creedence Clearwater Revival's 1968 cover of the song Susie Q, which Iwatani was a fan of. To lower manufacturing costs, it was only sold as a conversion kit for older ''Gee Bee'' and ''Bomb Bee'' arcade units. The game was ported to the PlayStation in 1996 as part of the Japanese release of '' Namco Museum Vol. 2'', w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
4Gamer
''4Gamer.net'' is a Japanese video game website operated by Aetas Inc. It was launched in August 2000. The site initially focused on "western games" such as FPS and RTS genres,ゲームサイト大手の4Gamer.netを8億円で買収--デジタルハーツ (Major game site 4Gamer.net was acquired in 800 million Yen) CNET Japan the video gaming market, along with MMORPGs and s. Today, ''4Gamer.net'' is a comprehens ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Space Invaders
is a 1978 shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Tomohiro Nishikado. It was manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and licensed to the Midway division of Bally for overseas distribution. ''Space Invaders'' was the first fixed shooter and set the template for the shoot 'em up genre. The goal is to defeat wave after wave of descending aliens with a horizontally moving laser to earn as many points as possible. Designer Nishikado drew inspiration from North American target shooting games like '' Breakout'' (1976) and ''Gun Fight'' (1975), as well as science fiction narratives such as the novel ''The War of the Worlds'' (1897), the anime ''Space Battleship Yamato'' (1974), and the movie ''Star Wars'' (1977). To complete development of the game, he had to design custom hardware and development tools. Upon release, ''Space Invaders'' was an immediate commercial success; by 1982, it had grossed $3.8 billion (equivalent to over adjusted for inflation ), with a net profit of $ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taito
is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It began production of video games in 1973. In 2005, Taito was purchased by Square Enix, becoming a wholly owned subsidiary by 2006. Taito is recognized as an important industry influencer in the early days of video games, producing a number of hit arcade games such as ''Speed Race'' (1974), ''Western Gun'' (1975), ''Space Invaders'' (1978), ''Bubble Bobble'' (1986) and ''Arkanoid'' (1986). Alongside Capcom, Konami, Namco and Sega, it is one of the most prominent video game companies from Japan and the first that exported its games into other countries. Several of its games have since been recognized as important and revolutionary for the industry - ''Space Invaders'' in particular was a major contributor to the growth of video games in the l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carpenter Bee
Carpenter bees are species in the genus ''Xylocopa'' of the subfamily Xylocopinae. The genus includes some 500 bees in 31 subgenera. The common name "carpenter bee" derives from their nesting behavior; nearly all species burrow into hard plant material such as dead wood or bamboo. The main exceptions are species in the subgenus '' Proxylocopa''; they dig nesting tunnels in suitable soil. Etymology The French entomologist Pierre André Latreille described the genus in 1802. He derived the name from the Ancient Greek ''xylokopos''/ξυλοκὀπος "wood-cutter". Characteristics Many species in this enormous genus are difficult to tell apart; most species are all black, or primarily black with some yellow or white pubescence. Some differ only in subtle morphological features, such as details of the male genitalia. Males of some species differ confusingly from the females, being covered in greenish-yellow fur. The confusion of species arises particularly in the common names; ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Video Pinball
The Video Pinball brand is a series of first-generation single-player dedicated home video game consoles manufactured, released and marketed by Atari, Inc. starting in 1977. Bumper controllers on the sides or a dial on the front are used to control the games depending on the game selected. There are three game types in the first model of the Video Pinball series: ''Pinball'', ''Basketball'', and ''Breakout''. The first model is based on the single chip 011500-11/C011512-05 ("Pong-on-a-chip") produced by Atari. Gameplay Video Pinball allows 7 games—4 pinball variations, a basketball game, and two versions of ''Breakout'' (''Breakout'' and a variant called ''Break Away'') -- for one to two players. The unit provides digital on-screen scoring, automatic serves, and color graphics. Video Pinball uses a micro-controller and a small amount of RAM rather than the "Pong on a chip" IC's that had been used in the slew of pong machines Atari Inc. had been releasing. Pinball was play ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Ultimate History Of Video Games
''The Ultimate History of Video Games'' is a 2001 non-fiction book by Steven L. Kent. Published initially by Prima Publishing and then by Three Rivers Press, it is an updated version of the self-published ''The First Quarter: A 25-Year History of Video Games''. Development The book was constructed primarily from over 500 interviews, with industry figures granting multiple conversations. Three potential sources declined. He had originally intended to release the book in 1995, and then in 1996, but then he "finally published the damned thing" independently in 2000. 5,000 copies of this first edition were quickly sold exclusively through Amazon, and then Prima Publishing bought the rights. Kent initially opposed referring to the new edition as "ultimate". An index was added. He bemoaned that the Three Rivers Press edition was released before the launches of the GameCube and Xbox. In 2018, and again in 2019, he mentioned that he was working on a second volume, which was eventually ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Electro-mechanical Game
Electro-mechanical games (EM games) are types of arcade games that operate on a combination of some electronic circuitry and mechanical actions from the player to move items contained within the game's cabinet. Some of these were early light gun games using light-sensitive sensors on targets to register hits, while others were simulation games such as driving games, combat flight simulators and sports games. EM games were popular in amusement arcades from the late 1940s up until the 1970s, serving as alternatives to pinball machines, which had been stigmatized as games of chance during that period. EM games lost popularity in the 1970s, as arcade video games had emerged to replace them in addition to newer pinball machines designed as games of skill. Definition EM games typically combined mechanical engineering technology with various electrical components, such as motors, switches, resistors, solenoids, relays, bells, buzzers and electric lights. EM games lie somewhere in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Imagine Publishing
Imagine Publishing was a UK-based magazine publisher, which published a number of video games, computing, creative and lifestyle magazines. It was founded on 14 May 2005 with private funds by Damian Butt, Steven Boyd and Mark Kendrick, all were former directors of Paragon Publishing, and launched with a core set of six gaming and creative computing titles in the first 6 months of trading. It was taken over by Future plc on 21 October 2016. In October 2005, it had acquired the only retro games magazine Retro Gamer, after its original publisher, Live Publishing went bankrupt. Early in 2006, it further acquired the rights to publish a considerable number of titles including gamesTM, Play, PowerStation, X360, Digital Photographer and iCreate, from the old Paragon Publishing stable of magazines when owner Highbury House Communications went into liquidation, following Future Publishing's withdrawal of its offer to buy the company, due to threats of a monopoly-investigation by the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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