You need them to feel happy over SMS sales in Europe and then mega drive in USA. Another one is Sega needs a console hardware maker permanent team, Nintendo has uemura and Takeda for home consoles and yokoi r&d#1 for experimental technologies ( lead to zapper, Gameboy,super scope, virtual boy,etc) , SEGA didn't,using ad-hoc teams from arcade developers.. and them we got the executives meddling when they shouldn't ( the distrasous Hitachi deal Nakayama did to help his Hitachi friend leading up to 32x and dual CPU and vdp in Saturn).
But the problem Is the same, SEGA needs a Yamauchi, a single leader that his word is law,can kill tantrum with a single snap of fingers and would have put Nakayama, kalinske,naka and co in their places when they tried something stupid. Sadly Nakayama wasn't cut for it, Isao okawa was too busy with the real money maker (CSK) and seems the rest of the okawa didn't give a damn
You need them to feel happy over SMS sales in Europe and then mega drive in USA. Another one is Sega needs a console hardware maker permanent team, Nintendo has uemura and Takeda for home consoles and yokoi r&d#1 for experimental technologies ( lead to zapper, Gameboy,super scope, virtual boy,etc) , SEGA didn't,using ad-hoc teams from arcade developers.. and them we got the executives meddling when they shouldn't ( the distrasous Hitachi deal Nakayama did to help his Hitachi friend leading up to 32x and dual CPU and vdp in Saturn).
But the problem Is the same, SEGA needs a Yamauchi, a single leader that his word is law,can kill tantrum with a single snap of fingers and would have put Nakayama, kalinske,naka and co in their places when they tried something stupid. Sadly Nakayama wasn't cut for it, Isao okawa was too busy with the real money maker (CSK) and seems the rest of the okawa didn't give a damn
Will need to dig up, I remember one was interview not long ago (mega drive developer and was on the system 32 arcade team too) so would be the closest, another thing would be pacience, if the system fails on Japan,don't rush more hardware just because is not popular in Japan
Sega did have two https://segaretro.org/Hideki_Satohttps://segaretro.org/Masami_Ishikawa but seems neither Sato nor Ishikawa wasn't above not being forced their hands by management(In Nintendo at least Yokoi,Takeda or Miyamoto would raise an objection but wouldn't have do the big-brained move Nakayama did with Hitachi)
Kaizo Mario World 1 (SNES) - mostly identical to OTL's hack.
Kaizo Mario World 2 (SNES-CD) - ROM hack of Super Mario World 2, is the first in the series to feature custom bosses and custom music such as One-Winged Angel. Despite this, all normal enemies exist in base SMW2.
Kaizo Mario World 3 (SNES-CD) - Based off the isometric platformer Super Mario World 3, adds custom enemies, bosses and music. Contains a different plot from OTL's Kaizo 3.
Kaizo Mario World 4 (Game Boy Supernova) - Based on the 2D platformer Super Mario World 4, is one of the first ROM hacks for this game.
As for the specs of my pop culture TL's Game Boy Color, it has a 56 color palette that builds on the NES's color palette by including true yellows and replacing duplicate colors.
Exclusive mode graphics have 16 different 6-color sub-palettes, of which 8 are for the background, and 8 are for sprites. One color must be shared between all of these sub-palettes. As such, it's possible for exclusive mode games to display the entire palette at once. Exclusive mode games such as World of Color can use the faster processor of TTL!GBC.
Enhanced mode graphics have 8 different 4-color sub-palettes, of which 4 are for the background and 4 are for sprites. One color must be shared between all of these sub-palettes. Enhanced mode games such as Pokemon Yellow use the Black & White Game Boy's processing speed.
Both modes can access a Ken Kutargi-designed sound chip that's comparable in sound quality to OTL's GBA. TTL's Game Boy Color came out in 1996.
Gene Siskel's surgery that he didn't survive IOTL goes well without complications ITTL, and his and Ebert's review of Battlefield Earth is one of the most famous episodes of Siskel and Ebert ITTL.
Was recently thinking of two major pop culture PODs both taking place in the year 1997:
- What if the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone book was a failure?
- What if, after the “mass seizure” event in Japan in December of that year, the Pokémon franchise saw its ultimate downfall as a result of the worldwide controversy sparking from the attack?
What if, after the “mass seizure” event in Japan in December of that year, the Pokémon franchise saw its ultimate downfall as a result of the worldwide controversy sparking from the attack?
Also the Gameboy is likely finished as the GBC may not be as successful without the boost from the second gen Pokémon games. Without them it's early years are probably dominated by the reissuing of giants of the past and it's seen as a WiiU style "upgrade". Although the GBA may still be successful but more on "normal" Nintendo levels instead of the juggernaut Pokémon caused OTL.
Potter would change everything, no Potter, probably no Artemis Fowl, no Twilight (YMMV on how bad that is) no Fifty Shades (good riddance) and kids publishing remains a niche area dominated by company hacks and "children's author's" long since pigeon holed and unwilling to take risks. Given what a juggernaut it was it's impossible to list all the things that change without Potter in the mix...
A figure in a longcoat walking into a dark alleyway at night, illuminated by few lights. There are hints this is set in the UK, possibly a seedier part of contemporary London.
Trailer intertitles, with mysterious ambient music.
From the dawn of time they came… moving silently down through the centuries.
Living many secret lives, struggling to reach the time of the Gathering, when the few who remain will battle to the last.
Few have ever known they were among us… until now.
The man approaches the middle of the alley, where...
...there are cries of fear and anger, calls for help. No one's around to help. Except the man.
In the alley, two muggers are harassing and threatening a lady, ca in her thirties, with knives.
"Drop the knives... Let 'er go," the man's voice is heard, with an accent that sounds partly British and partly, vaguely East African.
"Or wha ?! Just eff o..."
They're cut off mid-threat by the subtle sound of a sword being drawn from a scabbard.
Born in the highlands of Ethiopia over six hundred years ago, he is immortal.
A scabbard on the man's belt, hidden behind the longcoat. We see the sword briefly, an Ethiopian gurade.
"Oi... oi, man, calm down, we..."
"Leave."
For centuries, he's battled the forces of darkness...
A shot of their knives falling to the ground with a ringing sound, the men running away, terrified.
Brief insert shot of a silhouetted Ethiopian man kneeling on the ground, praying, in what looks like an Ethiopian stone church.
...with holy ground his only refuge.
We're back at the alley.
The woman, of a darker complexion, mouth open and frowning in astonishment, asks with a similar British-but-vaguely-African accent:
"You ?"
The man walks out from the shadows, into the light, sheathing the sword.
He cannot die, unless you take his head, and with it, the great gift of his Immortal lifeforce.
We finally see his face. Maybe in his early forties, at the latest. A darker skintone, not unlike a person from... Ethiopia.
Very quiet music in the background. The basic melody seems familiar, but presented through an arrangement for... East African traditional instruments.
"Sorry I've startled you. You rang." he raises a cheap smartphone, indicating she had called him once the muggers started following her.
"I... I. You..." she looks at the sword in the scabbard, perplexed. "How ?" she blurts out, confused and unsure.
A calm, thoughtful smile.
"It's quite the story..."
*cue montage of brief excerpts from various scenes in the film*
Here we are
Kebere's village in the 15th century Ethiopian Highlands. He lives a humble life as a farmer and seller with his relatives. We get a glimpse of him defending his relatives when, one day, they're attacked by some bandits. The bandits unfortunately kill him, then run. The family mourns and buries him, with a funeral service by an Ethiopian Orthodox priest.
Born to be kings
Kebere fighting and dispersing some bandits from a late-medieval or early modern village in Ethiopia. Children and some elderly locals flocking to him, relieved, and Kebere looking a bit unsure about being seen as a hero. And we're still not sure how he returned to the living.
We're the Princes of the Universe
Kebere staring up to the starry night sky, deep in thought... in three different historical periods and three very different locations !
Here we belong...
The panorama of an East African landscape, on the Ethiopian Highlands. The sun is setting, the sky is overcast, as if a storm was brewing. Suddenly a lightning bolt strikes a plateau. (right when the drum percussions are heard) We see the apparently still dead body of Kebere lying in the spot struck by the bolt. A detail on his fingers indicates he's coming to... A shot of his eyes, which suddenly open. Now we know how he returned.
Fighting to survive
Kebere, himself looking shaken and confused, wanders into his home village. His family is astonished but somewhat glad to see him again, but most of the other locals fear him and chase him off...
In a world with the darkest powers
The main antagonist, a Celtic man born during Classical Antiquity, with a cruel smile on his face. His Immortal henchmen (born in various places and periods) gather around him. Reverse shot to Kebere, who is calm but somewhat tense over being outnumbered by other Immortals.
(instrumental solo of the song, the solo accompanying a montage)
A montage of shots showing Kebere's travels around the world over the many centuries.
Kebere fights in some war in early modern Ethiopia, befriending various people, goes on a pilgrimage to one of the churches in Lalibela. In an arid region of Africa, he outwits and escapes a man who tried to capture him and make him a slave. He's visiting early modern Europe, India, Brazil, the Andes... He's a "black" pirate in the Caribbean. Then we see him fighting in what seems to be the Haitian revolution. We see him meeting a Hopi Indian. Sitting around a campfire with some bushranger and an Aboriginal Australian in what seems like the 1850s gold rush.
(end of solo)
And here we are
A Spanish-looking man in some southern European, Renaissance era city (that looks rather Moorish or Spanish):
"Remember, my friend. In the end..."
We're the Princes of the Universe
Shot of Kebere vigorously swordfighting with the main antagonist, then back to the scene with Kebere's "Spanish" friend.
Here we belong...
"...there can be only one."
Kebere nods at his acquaintance, somewhat wistfully.
Fighting for survival
Kebere, dressed in simple modern attire, using an ordinary staff to beat up some rifle-armed Derg militants in a destitute village in 1980s Ethiopia (likely the same village he saved from bandits centuries ago), forcing the militants to scram. He opens the back of a humanitarian aid truck, as the locals flock to him and he starts helping them sort the food supplies.
We've come to be the rulers of you all
Some shots of the cunning main antagonist and his band harassing other Immortals or people who are onto the secret of Immortals.
Right after that, another montage of shots showing Kebere's travels around the world over the many centuries.
(instrumental solo accompanying the montage)
Kebere fighting in some North African colonial war. Then back in Ethiopia, fighting the Italians in the late 1800s. World War I, fighting with French troops in Africa, then the western front. Kebere in 1920s central European formal clothes, sitting completely soaked in a river or stream under the mountains, a man dressed in local clothes offering him a hand with a smile. Kebere accepts, the man helps him up, smiling, and puts a Goral hat on his head. Kebere shakes his hand and grins back. Kebere in the present, working in an office of The British Museum, greeting his female friend who opens the door.
(end of solo)
I am immortal, I have inside me blood of kings
A scene implying Kebere had mingled with the royal courts of early modern Ethiopia, and even those of a few other African, European and Asian monarchies.
Yeah ! Yeah !
Some ladies from these courts giggle, wink and wave at a chastely smiling Kebere. Some officials and courtiers shaking hands with him, seemingly in lively conversation or praising him. He nods along, thanking them, but remaining modest.
I have no rival, no man can be my equal
A very quick montage of Kebere swordfighting over the centuries. Shotel-and-shield fighting home in Ethiopia, then sparring with some European nobleman or mercenary, then fighting some Chinese warrior, and standing his own.
The main antagonist fleeing, annoyed, as Kebere routs his henchmen, and manages to defeat one of the henchmen by lobbing his head off. Cue the Quickening, lightning, and an all-consuming series of explosions in Kebere's surroundings.
Take me to the future of you all
Kebere lowers his gaze on a lantern-lit, medieval-looking street. We immediately hear a ringtone. Kebere, now in modern clothes, pulls out a smartphone from his pocket, accepting the call under a neon sign on the street of some British or European city, likely London.
Abrupt cut to black, music abruptly stops, vanishing in an echo.
Stinger scene of trailer.
Daytime. Kebere and his female friend (the same one previously threatened by the muggers and entering his office at the museum) are sitting in a car, in slow traffic or at some intersection. The car's waiting.
"How is it possible ? I mean... Where did it come from ?"
"What exactly ?" he turns towards her.
"The immortality. You and all the others."
He looks forward, shrugs, looks back at her.
"Hey... I suppose... It's a kind of magic."
They smile.
A smash cut to the intertitle COMING SOON, accompanied by a "Yeah !" vocal from the song.
----
The Highlander
Early 15th century Ethiopia, during the rule of the Solomonic dynasty. Kebere Tasifa, a young Amharic commoner from a village on the Ethiopian Highlands, is killed while defending his relatives from a group of bandits. He is mourned and buried by his family, but under mysterious circumstances, awakes near the place of his murder, intact and living. His family is scared but welcomes him, the other villagers are terrified of his presence and chase him out. He wanders Ethiopia and in the following centuries also other countries and continents, learning the world and coming to grips with his newly-acquired... immortality.
Over the centuries, he meets many mortal and plenty of Immortal people worldwide, examining his personal ethics many times, and eventually attempting to find allies among mortals and Immortals alike, around the world. We see these experiences through a series of shorter flashback scenes throughout the film (with transitions stylistically similar to those of the pre-reboot original film), in which Kebere meets with Immortal characters such as Juan Ramirez, or a Goral highlander named Jerzy, and others he befriends, is mentored by, or mentors himself.
The early 21st century, the UK and elsewhere in Europe. Kebere has recently been having feelings towards a co-worker of his, of several years. He has suspicions about whether she couldn't be a potential Immortal. However, there are ominous signs of his old archenemy and several other foes returning, leading an expanding global network of calluous, villainously-minded Immortals.
Will Kebere manage to gather a group of allies ? Will the Gathering commence ? Who will endure in the fight of wits and skill ?
And... in the end... will there be only one ?
(The film ends with a certain man, introducing himself as Joe, meeting with Kebere, and revealing the existence of The Watchers, an organization long-suspected to be surveilling Immortals and their conduct.)
Highlanders
Set some time after the events of the first film, this installment has more of a globetrotting focus than the previous film. We see more flashbacks to Kebere's past travels, and him finding Immortal acquaintances all around the world, some of which he'll more actively revisit in this film. There's also more of a focus on not only Kebere and his girlfriend, but his band of Immortal and mortal friends and allies. Several of his Immortal co-fighters and allies happen to be highlanders as well, from other parts of the world, hence the pluralised title of the film. The four-strong core of Immortals that make up the newly-established "Team Highlander" are an Ethiopianhighlander, a Goral highlander, a Peruvian Quechua highlander, and a Laotian/Vietnamese highlander. The film also marks the introduction of a mysterious Immortal known only by the moniker Methos, and the introduction of an Immortal thief going by the moniker of Amanda. Kebere's old adversary and his league of calluos Immortals are still at large, and new enemies from the ranks of the Immortals have also shown up.
The Highlander III: MacLeod
Kebere, Jerzy and other members of "Team Highlander" attempt to join forces with the newly-revealed Immortal of Scottish descent, Connor MacLeod. An old but estranged friend of Ramirez, MacLeod is rather worldweary and reluctant to join their efforts, rather withdrawn from most of mortal or Immortal society, and only focusing on living his life. He's grown jaded over the prospect of ever winning the Prize, even though he's dissatisfied with living a lonely immortal life. Over the course of the film, Connor gradually warms to the idea of joining the slowly developing alliance of Immortals around Kebere and his other contacts, and by the end of the film, joins Team Highlander.
The Highlander IV: The Final Gathering
The grand finale of the series. The villainous Immortals and more heroically minded Immortals continue their clash in what is at first a more stealthy, shadowy war, that soon descends into an all-out war between Immortals that potentially threatens all of humanity. Many Immortals will be wounded or perish. Who will prevail ? Good and altruism, or evil and selfishness ? And who, if anyone, will succeed in winning the Prize ?
(There is a twist ending involving one of the more recent Immortals - I won't say which - turning out to be the final one, defeating the final baddie who had previously murdered the final one's Immortal friends, and... the final Immortal choosing to restore their friends' lives as part of losing their Immortality.)
----
How Petike would do a complete reboot of the Highlander film series. Based on the IMHO brilliant idea by Talwar from a few years ago, that the titular highlander doesn't need to be a Scotsman, and his adversary could be some originally Celtic or Roman warrior from antiquity. I've always loved Talwar's basic suggestion, and after putting off my attempts to expand upon the idea, I sat down today to finally write them down.
The goal would be to achieve the same thing Nolan achieved with The Dark Knight Trilogy in comparison to earlier Batman films. Try to make a reboot than won't be just cashing in on nostalgia, retreading existing, well-trodden ground, but trying something new, while having plenty of little nods to the previous version of the franchise (especially the first film and the stronger aspects of the TV series).
At the same time, I'm using the presence of other "highlander" Immortals from various regions of the world to keep the title of the series close to its story contents and thus a bit more consistent, rather than let it become an almost entirely "artefact title". Most Immortals aren't highlanders, but a few Immortals happen to come from the highlands of Ehiopia, Scotland, Peru, Southeast Asia, Polish and Slovak Carpathians, etc.
Most of the rules concerning Immortals' conduct have been kept from the previous version of the franchise, with some refined. There will also not be a retreading of Kurgan-like villains. The Celtic bad guy, one of Kebere's main nemeses, will reoccur in the first few films, until he's defeated for good, and his Immortal henchmen and other independent villainous Immortals will also have adequate story and character space. I imagine the main bad guy could be written in a manner closer to what Gregory Widen had originally intended for the antagonist's life-long evolving vengeful motivations, in his treatment or earlier draft of the script for the first film. There is unused potential there, rather than merely doing yet another variation on the Kurgan. Ramirez will, unfortunately, sacrifice his life in order to defend his Immortal friends, but only before the finale of the series. Kebere's girlfriend, also a woman of Ethiopian ancestry, will be revealed to be a potential Immortal and actually get to play an increasingly greater role in the overall storyline of the series, including the grand finale.
The Prize will not be won in the first film and then clumsily retconned, but only in the fourth and final film. Some of the main and ancilliary cast will appear in streaming spinoff series, most of these in the form of one-season or two-season miniseries that add more insight into the lives of the characters throughout the centuries.
Kebere Tasifa - an Ethiopian actor or actor of Ethiopian descent who could handle action roles, or a British actor with East African roots who could convincingly pass for an Ethiopian
Kebere's female friend and cqlleague, eventual girlfriend - same as in the case of Kebere's actor, though with an actress of course
Sunda Kastagir - a minor character in the original 1980s film, he's also an Amharic-speaking Ethiopian, albeit born three centuries later in 1715, and the reboot version could be a recurring pal of both Kebere and reboot-Connor, without them realizing this until they meet (another good Ethiopian actor needed)
Jerzy, the Goral Immortal - some good Polish actor, maybe Michal Zebrowski or someone similarly capable in action and acting, but a bit younger
reboot-Ramirez - Pedro Pascal (Juan Sánchez-Villabolos Ramirez, originally an Egyptian born in the New Kingdom, ca 9th century BC)
reboot-Connor - I'd probably choose Kevin McKidd or someone similar, a less-known Scottish actor that would be capable in an action role
reboot-Amanda - Eva Green, or maybe some slightly younger actress who can play a convincing French-speaking brunette
reboot-Methos - Peter Wingfield is too old at this point (though he could have a cameo as Methos' buddy in a past era), so some similarly capable, sly, but calm and affable actor... for all I care, you can even use Aidan Gillen or maybe Karl Urban
reboot-Joe - some middle-aged British or Canadian actor who'd fit the role, though I kind of like the idea of present day Clancy Brown as reboot-Joe
Montagnard highlander Immortal - some middle-aged actor of Vietnamese descent... or just get Donny Yen, so he gets to be in a good Highlander flick
Quechua highlander Immortal - a South American actor of actual Quechua ancestry who could fit the role well
the Celtic bad guy, Kebere's archenemy - no idea, but some actor who'll be convincing in the role
This version of the franchise is purely historical fantasy. No aliens from planets named the same as Dutch towns, no space or time travel, no ancient forgotten pasts or post-apocalyptic settings, no specific place where the Immortals originated. No explanation for how the Immortals originated. Kebere and some of the other characters occassionally get philosophical about this. Kebere himself thinks the immortality might be a special and non-permanent gift from God, as a test of character of those men and women who receive it - will they use it for good or for evil ?
The music of the reboot film series would be new, but take some cues and leitmotifs from Michael Kamen's 1980s film score for the original film, as well as the more prominent Queen songs associated with the original Highlander franchise.
I wanted to be extra sure that I'll get the trailer just right, including "syncing it" (in an abstract way) to the music, especially the song. You want to really say "Hey, this is genuinely Highlander, albeit in a new and exciting way". Of course, in the trailer and the write-ups for the individual four films, I do have a lot of nods to the original film and the TV series, including the whole initial setup of Kebere walking into a less pleasant alleyway and the audience getting early exposition about what's going on and the identity of this person. A lot of the original film's and the series' ideas and rules were the best versions within the original franchise, so I've picked everything that worked and made sense, and brought it into this reimagining in (hopefully) a less clunky and more organic manner.
As for the rebooted versions of some of the original franchise's characters, they're more of a supporting cast, and the focus is always on the new cast (Kebere, his girlfriend, the other highlander Immortals and Kebere's Immortal buddies, the new villain and his henchmen, and the other new antagonists). Bringing back Connor was more down to giving him a better send-off than he had beyond the original film and most of the TV series. Bringing back Ramirez is to give the character more space to shine and added depth and development, as he's killed off fairly late in the series, rather than the first film. Amanda, Methos and Joe were some of the more interesting characters introduced in the TV series, so giving them more space to shine in a proper big screen film series could be interesting.
I wanted to be extra sure that I'll get the trailer just right, including "syncing it" (in an abstract way) to the music, especially the song. You want to really say "Hey, this is genuinely Highlander, albeit in a new and exciting way". Of course, in the trailer and the write-ups for the individual four films, I do have a lot of nods to the original film and the TV series, including the whole initial setup of Kebere walking into a less pleasant alleyway and the audience getting early exposition about what's going on and the identity of this person. A lot of the original film's and the series' ideas and rules were the best versions within the original franchise, so I've picked everything that worked and made sense, and brought it into this reimagining in (hopefully) a less clunky and more organic manner.
As for the rebooted versions of some of the original franchise's characters, they're more of a supporting cast, and the focus is always on the new cast (Kebere, his girlfriend, the other highlander Immortals and Kebere's Immortal buddies, the new villain and his henchmen, and the other new antagonists). Bringing back Connor was more down to giving him a better send-off than he had beyond the original film and most of the TV series. Bringing back Ramirez is to give the character more space to shine and added depth and development, as he's killed off fairly late in the series, rather than the first film. Amanda, Methos and Joe were some of the more interesting characters introduced in the TV series, so giving them more space to shine in a proper big screen film series could be interesting.
