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Whodunit: Aspect Co., Ltd.
Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2005 8:03 am Last edited by CRV on Fri Mar 02, 2007 12:31 pm; edited 1 time in total |
Lookie here...Another investigation. But at least the Aspect name is actually in most of the roms of the games they worked on, towards the beginning, so this will be easier to do.
How did this start? Well, while looking for Sanritsu/SIMS stuff, I found something similar to this sample code snippet: MS SONIC¥CHAOS < Ver1.20 > 1993/08/03 @SEGA/Aspect Co.,Ltd
Now, here's a list of games that I've found were done by Aspect: - Batman Returns (SMS/GG) The GG rom doesn't have credits or the Aspect name, but we can safely assume it was done by them. - Sonic the Hedgehog 2/Sonic & Tails (SMS/GG) - Sonic Chaos/Sonic & Tails 2 (SMS/GG) - Sonic Blast/G Sonic (SMS/GG) - Sonic Triple Trouble (GG) - Tails' Adventure (GG) Looks like they did mostly Sonic games. I'll investigate suspect games later on. Between these, the Sanritsu/SIMS games, the Compile games, and the games by Western firms, how many games did Sega actually do for the SMS and GG themselves? I guess that's how you get away with supporting 15 different systems. |
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Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2005 9:10 am |
http://www.mobygames.com/browse/games/aspect-co-ltd/ | |
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Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2005 9:14 am |
I've seen the list. It's mostly incorrect. Sonic Spinball was done in the US by Sega. Sonic 1 was done by Yuzo Koshiro's company, Ancient. |
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Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2005 3:00 pm |
Have you checked the Mickey Mouse games and Asterix for similarities within the code?
Only the Genesis version. |
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2005 5:19 am |
More games I've found to be by Aspect:
Cola Cola Kid (or Kids, as it says in the ROM) gg sonic & tails2 < ver1.01 > 1993/09/07 @sega/aspect co.,ltd
For some reason, the Legend of Illusion ROM has the above code snippet. I guess the game is by Aspect. Aspect's official site has all their games listed. But guess what? They use generic descriptions instead of actual game names. Let's try to figure these out together... Game Gear 1997 "dinosaur action" (The Lost World: Jurassic Park?) 1996 "action" (G Sonic/Sonic Blast?) 1996 "hand-to-hand fighting" (?) 1995 "hand-to-hand fighting action (sound only)" (?) 1995 "action" (?) 1994 "action" (Sonic & Tails 2/Sonic Chaos?) 1994 "character mini-game collection" (?) 1994 "character action (3 kinds, type)" (Cola Cola Kid's probably one of them, the two others ?) 1993 "action (2 type, kind)" (?) 1992 "action" (?) Master System 1993 "action (2 type, kind)" (?) 1991 "hand-to-hand fighting action" (?) |
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 10:16 am Last edited by CRV on Sat Aug 13, 2005 8:18 am; edited 1 time in total |
Updated Saturday, August 13, 2005:
Known Sega/Aspect Games: Batman Returns (SMS/GG) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SMS/GG) Sonic Chaos/Sonic & Tails (SMS/GG) Deep Duck Trouble (SMS/GG) Sonic Blast/G Sonic (SMS/GG) Jurassic Park (SMS/GG) Sonic Triple Trouble (SMS/GG) Tails' Adventures (GG) Coca Cola Kid (GG) Legend of Illusion (SMS/GG) Credits from known Sega/Aspect games: Batman Returns (SMS) Planning Hase Design M. Sato Design Jyouoh Akk Program Hiro. 777 Program K.O Asp. Staff Toshi.Fujiyama Asp. Staff Yasujirou.M Sound Motohiro Kawashima Sound Program Mikito Ichikawa Sound Management Yuzo Koshiro Special Thanks GG Batman Project Team Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SMS) Compose Tomozou Compose Simachan Compose Ray Program Ko,Ko Program Semimaru Program Tea Tea Program Tosiyan Art Jly King Art Noborin Art Tez Art U,D,K Edit Raizou Edit M,Shima Edit End Edit Mariyuri Sound Gatao Sound Nao Chan Sound Dawasa Thanks Asohy Thanks Taku,S Thanks The Hase Thanks Thomas Y Thanks Okusan Thanks Lunarian Thanks Hitmen Thanks Aspect and You Sonic Chaos (SMS) Game Design M. Shima, Ray, 500ZO Art 7LY.Bigking, Gen, Noborin, East Sound Mix Nagao N. Gee Program Koko, Hiro 777, Toshiyan, Tomoyan Thanks to Hitmen, The Hase, Kensan, Gadai, Mikarin, LLG, J.S, K. Dash, Hasuwo, Yokoyamasan, Tomozo, and You Deep Duck Trouble Game Designers Sharusharu, Otanuki Sp. Artist Mikarin Background Artists Manaby, 7LY Big King, Tamun Sound Programers Nagao+O+Gee, Lotty Sound Composer S. Kobayashi Game Manual Shonan Boy, 168, Pantaloon Producers Hitmen, Hase Walt Disney Producer Patrick Gilmore Main Programmer Hiro 777 Support Programmers Koko, Mix, Toshiyan, Gadai, Tomoyan Special Thanks to Emirin, Yoshio, Yoshida, Suusang, Gaisu, Rei, Cindy, M. Inoue, E. Yamamoto, T. Matsuda Sonic Blast (GG) Producer Hiroshi Aso (Hiroshi Aso is a SEGA employee. I have a feeling these games weren't completely by Aspect.) Director Ryushin Hamada Map Design Akira Okamoto, Ken Sasaki Chief Programmer Toshiaki Araki Programmer Yoshiaki Makishima Chief Designer Fumikazu Sugawara Designer Taro Murayama Sound Composer Kojiro Mikusa Special Thanks Kazuyuki Oikawa, Aspect All Staff Jurassic Park (SMS) Director Asohy Producer Jun Tsu Chi Chief Programmer ToToYo Programmer Com Blue, Saku, Ken-San Art Work Ei Ei O, Jyouoh Akk, Tez Mania Sound Management Lotty, N. Gee Planner LLG, Suu Sang Special Thanks Hase, James S., Jessy T., Steve B., Kazu Sonic Triple Trouble Producer M. Hoko Director K. Hase Staff M. Sima, N. Honda, Saori K., T. Ihoroi, S. Higashi, O. Kodera, Toshiaki, K. Oikawa, H. Sai, K. Mixa, Sukioka, M. Tatsu, Tomoko, Fumi, Yoshiki Composer Yayoi F. Thanks H. Kojima, Y. Furuta, Hayato T., N. Taidai, K. Unoki, Ray F., J. Spahn, N. Katoh, R. Somaki, J. Misima, Y. Okitsu, T. Tanaka, Manabu M. and You Suspicious Sega/Aspect Games Asterix & the Secret Mission (SMS/GG) Golden Axe Warrior (SMS) The Cyber Shinobi (SMS) Defenders of Oasis (GG) Running Battle (SMS) Credits from suspicious Sega/Aspect Games Asterix & the Secret Mission (SMS) Artist Kyuzou, Tamun, Choko, U D K Program Milk Tea, Atsu Sound Funky K.H. Game Design Ken A, Taidai, K. Dash Director Asohy, Hase, Hide Special Thanks to Taku, Tomozou, Michael, Kia Golden Axe Warrior (SMS) I had suspected this as a Sanritsu game, but it shares staff from the known games, and not really any from Sanritsu. But it came out before Aspect's first game (a "hand-to-hand fighting game" which came out in 1991), so it's probably not from them. Programmers Pochi, Com Blue Planner Okaru Designers Gen, Chouko, Hide, Aiou_Tmkf Sound Tarnya Special Thanks to Cap-Elf, LLG The Cyber Shinobi (SMS) Planners Cap-Elf, Min Designers Hide, Udi, Mic-Satho, Fudho-Jyo Programmers K.Tany, [unknown], Sekihin Composers Shirige Nuki, Shiriko Dama Director Chief-N Defenders of Oasis (GG) 9PROGRAM 2 Lunarian SG ÿ6PLANNING @K,OCT 9(TOMARIN ÿ SCENARIO ADVISER MASAYUKI ISHIKAWA ,$ILLUSTRATION 40KINO CHAN ÿ?SOUND >TYPE-O .$VOICE ACTOR )0POLMI ATSU ÿ' GRAPHIC DESIGN E-IRO JYOUOH (SADA 4CHOKO \7 BIG KING `Y,NOZAKI m(HIDE n4GEN ÿ<THANKS SIVA KUDO ,TATE bRAI-ZOU k SATO h,ASOHY ÿPRESENTED BY SEGA Decipher them yourselves. |
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Phred
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2005 12:14 pm |
I've searched my SMS folder for the string "Aspect", and besides the games listed above, I've also found it in Marko's Magic Football.
CRV, may I write a page at Sonic the Hedgehog Information treasury using your info? http://shit.sclassic.net/index.php/Main_Page |
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 8:22 am |
Yes, "Aspect" is in the game, but it's part of the word "Aspecto" in some foreign language dialogue. And yes, you can use the info. But as I hinted before, Aspect may have only served as a co-producer on these games. I don't know (the same may be possible for Sanritsu/SIMS, but it seems more likely with Aspect). |
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Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2005 3:24 pm |
Doraemon? |
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2005 12:51 am |
How about Shadam crusader?
PROGRAM - Lunarian SG - PLANNING - K,OCT TOMARIN - SCENARIO ADVISER - MASAYUKI ISHIKAWA - ILLUSTRATION - KINO CHAN - SOUND - TYPE-O - VOICE ACTOR - POLMI ATSU - GRAPHIC DESIGN - E-IRO 7 BIG KING JYOUOH Y,NOZAKI SADA HIDE CHOKO GEN - THANKS - SIVA RAI-ZOU KUDO SATO TATE ASOHY |
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2005 3:19 am |
I don't know. The more I think about it, the more I think Aspect was just a co-producer, not the sole developer. Com Blue, Gen, Choko, and Hide turn up on the Phantasy Star series credits. They can't be Aspect employees. It's going to be tough to figure out what was worked on by Aspect because we don't know who worked for Aspect. And frankly, I'm not as motivated with this as I was with the Sanritsu/SIMS investigation. |
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2005 12:02 am |
Yeah, I'm guessing they're a company like Red Entertainment in that companies contract them out to do certain parts of development, like graphics and art but they don't make the games in their entirety. |
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Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2005 8:34 am |
I'm pretty much just going to say Aspect was a co-developer on these SMS/GG games. And I'm only going to count the games that mention Aspect in the ROM. That leaves us with...
Batman Returns (SMS) Coca Cola Kid (GG) Deep Duck Trouble Starring Donald Duck (SMS/GG) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SMS/GG) Sonic Chaos/Sonic & Tails (SMS/GG) Sonic the Hedgehog in Triple Trouble/Sonic & Tails 2 (GG) Sonic Blast/G Sonic (SMS/GG) Tails' Adventures (GG) They worked on others, such as a hand-to-hand fighting game for the SMS in 1991 (probably Running Battle). But thanks to the vague descriptions on their site instead of actual game titles, we may never know what. |
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Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2005 1:05 am |
I've now solved this. The game is Fatal Fury Special. Sound credits: K.OIKAWA K.MIKUSA K. Mikusa is Kojiro Mikusa, who also did sound on Sonic Blast. K. Oikawa should be none other than Aspect boss, Kazuyuki Oikawa. The same team did sound on Fatal Fury 2 on Megadrive. |
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Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2005 12:52 am |
Very good find. |
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 6:34 am |
Aspect is one of the leading guidebook publisher in Japan. They work usually on the guidebook during the game developpement with the creative team. So it's normal the developpers thanks Aspect at the game credits. | |
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 6:51 am |
Good point, but I don't think they made guidebooks for, say, the SMS version of Batman Returns, which wasn't released in Japan. |
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 11:08 am |
Yes, it's weird to read that. | |
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Re: Who Done What: Aspect Co., Ltd.
Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2006 2:42 am
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I thought that Sonic Triple Trouble = Sonic & Tails 2... are you sure that your classification is correct? |
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Re: Who Done What: Aspect Co., Ltd.
Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2006 3:11 am
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No, you're right. If you had read further, you would have seen I corrected myself. |
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 7:59 am |
Thanks to being given some credits from a Super Famicom game that Aspect did called "Go Go Ackman 2," I can now basically confirm that the following SMS/GG games were developed by Aspect:
G Sonic/Sonic Blast Lost World, The: Jurassic Park Sonic & Tails 2/Sonic Triple Trouble Tails Adventures Virtua Fighter Mini/Virtua Fighter Animation Go Go Ackman 2 (SFC)
Executive Producer Yukimasa Sugiura Producer Hajime Ishikawa Project Reader Tatsuo Masuda* Planner Xyzzy Chief Programmer Tatsuo Masuda* Programmer Toshiaki Araki* Chief Designer Sukeyasu Arimoto Graphic Designer Teruo Hamai* Taro Murayama* Sound Composer Koujiro Mikusa (K.Mixa)* Data Converter Yoshiki Matsushima Map Editer Taro Murayama* Scenario and Game Design Xyzzy Guest Character Design Akira Toriyama Publicity Kazue Hitomi Special Thanks Kazuhiko Torishima Kenzi Okamoto V Jump Kazuyuki Oikawa* Aspect Super Visor Kisaburo Higashi Takashi Shimomichi Lost World, The: Jurassic Park (GG) Producer Steve Hutchins Producer Makoto Oshitani Director Katsuhiro Hasegawa Programmer Tatsuo Matsuda* Programmer Yoshiaki Makishima* Planner Hiroko Mori Designer Hirobumi Kanoh Designer Kenji Sasaki (Kanji Sasaki) Designer Hitomi Hattori Sound Composer Koujiro Mikusa* Special Thanks Kazuyuki Oikawa* Assoc. Producer Mike Jablonn Lead Tester Karen Brown Assistant Lead Todd Slepian Assistant Lead Matt Underwood Testers Aaron Hommes Testers Paulita Villatuya Testers Tony Lynch Testers Marcus Montgomery Testers Tim Spengler Product Manager Kristin McCloskey Special Thanks Shuji Utsumi Special Thanks Steve Booth - MCA Special Thanks Geraldine Special Thanks Janine Special Thanks Bot Special Thanks Ryoichi Hasegawa Sonic Blast (GG/SMS) Producer Hiroshi Aso Director Ryushin Hamada Planner Katsunori Murakami Hiroaki Suzuki Map Design Akira Okamoto Kenji Sasaki (Ken Sasaki) Chief Programmer Toshiaki Araki* Programmer Yoshiaki Makishima* Chief Designer Fumikazu Sugawara* Designer Taro Murayama* Sound Composer Koujiro Mikusa (Kojiro Mikusa)* Special Thanks Kazuyuki Oikawa (Aspect)* Aspect All Staff Tails Adventures (GG) Producer Katsuhiro Hasegawa (K. Hasegawa) Directors Katsuhiro Hasegawa (K. Hasegawa) M. Simamura O. Kodera Artists Nobuhiko Honda (N. Honda) Shin'ichi Higashi (S. Higashi) Programmers Kazuyuki Oikawa (K. Oikawa)* H. Saigusa Yoshiaki Makishima (Y. Makishima)* Sound Producer Koujiro Mikusa (K. Mixa)* Special Thanks Tadashi Ihoroi (T. Ihoroi) P. Tezuka Hisayoshi Yoshida (H. Yoshida) R. Fujiwara Ryoichi Hasegawa (R. Hasegawa) Osamu Nakazato (O. Nakazato) T. Kojima Virtua Fighter Mini/Virtua Fighter Animation (GG/SMS) Producer Yasuhiro Nishimoto Programmers Tatsuo Matsuda* Yoshiaki Makishima* Chief Designer Teruo Hamai* Designer Fumikazu Sugawara* Taro Murayama* Aya Sato Data Converter Satoshi Ozawa Yukio Shimeno Music Composer Koujiro Mikusa (Koujiro Mixa)* Special Thanks Hisayoshi Yoshida Kazuyuki Oikawa* |
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Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 7:18 pm |
I have done a bit of investigation with the help of CRV's list above about these credited names. The ones that are question marked are not sure.
(Bracket - Credited name) Producer M. Hoko Director Katsuhiro Hasegawa (K. Hase) Staff M. Simamura (M. Sima)* Nobuhiko Honda (N. Honda)* Saori Kobayashi (Saori K.) Tadashi Ihoroi (T. Ihoroi)* Shin'ichi Higashi (S. Higashi)* Osamu Kodera? (O. Kodera) Toshiaki Araki (Toshiaki) Kazuyuki Oikawa (K. Oikawa)* Hiroyuki Saigusa (H. Sai)* Koujiro Mikusa (K. Mixa)* Sukioka, Tatsuo Matsuda (M. Tatsu)* Tomoko, Fumikazu Sugawara (Fumi) Yoshiki Matsushima (Yoshiki) Composer Yayoi F. Thanks H. Kojima, Y. Furuta, Hayato T., N. Taidai, K. Unoki, Ray F., J. Spahn, N. Katoh, R. Somaki, J. Misima, Y. Okitsu, T. Tanaka, Manabu M. and You Also I have looked at the other games but these may or may not be Aspect.
Game Design M. Shima, Ray F.? (Ray), 500ZO Art 7LY.Bigking, Gen, Noborin, East Sound Koujiro Mikusa? (Mix)# Nagao N. Gee Program Koko, Hiro 777*, Toshiyan, Tomoyan Thanks to Hitomi Hattori? (Hitmen) Katsuhiro Hasegawa? (The Hase)* Kensan, Gadai, Mikarin, LLG, J.S, K. Dash, Hasuwo, Yokoyamasan, Tomozou Endo (Tomozo), and You # K. Mixa was credited in Sonic Triple Trouble as staff, 3 music tracks from Sonic Chaos was also used in that game (Try Again, Sunset Park Boss Unused, Boss Defeated STT Unused), it is probably a guess that he had worked on this game. Hiro 777 worked on Sonic's Gameworld that was done by Aspect but some of the credits here on Sonic Chaos look like they belong to Sega. As for Asterix and the Secret Mission, the only recognisable names are: Katsuhiro Hayashi (Funky K.H.) N. Taidai (Taidai) [Thanks on Sonic Triple Trouble] Hiroshi Aso? (Asohy) - Director Katsuhiro Hasegawa (Hase) - Director Tomozou Endo (Tomozou) Unless these are freelance, most of these are Sega's own staff since they appear in both Sega and Aspect games. I think Aspect was like a co-developer that got more seperated as time went on. |
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 8:05 am |
I don't really take producers/directors or even sound and graphics people into account when determining the developer. What you first need to look at is the programmers.
I can probably safely say that Asterix & the Secret Mission was not by Aspect in any way, shape, or form. |
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Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 12:27 pm |
Add another game to the Aspect pile: "Tama & Friends - 3chome Koen Tamalympic"
The following can be found in the ROM: TAMA Ver 1.02 1994/11/01 SEGA/Aspect Co.,Ltd
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 11:24 am |
Frankly, I haven't kept this thread as up-to-date as I have some of the others.
For up-to-date findings on Aspect, go to: http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/Aspect |
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Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 12:53 pm |
Taking another glance at the GG/SMS credits and breaking them down into planning, graphics, programming, and sound, it looks like Aspect really didn't have anything to do with most of these games beyond programming and sound. So it is probably more accurate to list Sega and Aspect as co-developers on many of these games. See GDRI entry for more details. | |