WPTV and WSM to become ABC affiliation in the 80s

[DucNguyen0131]

October 23, 1987

After the release of The 3-D Battles of WorldRunner, which also had to release the Nintendo 3-D System, Nintendo is showing publicity for the Winter CES 1988 as the title shows promise for a work-in-progress title by Silicon Video Software.

Also, the Master System Disk Drive is officially released with the title OutRun as the very first title.

Sega says there was a work-in-progress title by Odyssey Video Pictures to develop full-motion video cassette games for the Master System Cassette Adapter.

Both full motion video titles are in a work in progress state, and the Silicon Video Software titles were produced and engineered by Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

 

[CrashBandicam]

Is the Nintendo 3D System capable of polygons and stuff?

 

[DucNguyen0131]

I think the Nintendo 3D System is simply a localized version of the Famicom 3D System.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

October 26, 1987

Irem Corporation of Japan announced that after the arcade release, which was number one in the Japanese market, that they would consider porting the hit arcade title R-Type onto the Famicom Disk System.

R-Type was one of the best-selling arcade games of the era. It was also in the works for the new NEC PC Engine.

Irem has successful Nintendo titles, both of them were critically acclaimed and it was a masterpiece.

R-Type takes use of the Famicom FM Sound System unit that was used more recently, in order to be used on the R-Type FDS project.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

November 2, 1987

Sun Corporation, which was under the Sunsoft label announced its plans to release Dragon's Lair and Space Ace to the Famicom Cassette System by Christmas for the Japanese market, and in early 1988 by the U.S.

Sun Corporation of America is Sunsoft's label for the United States. It released Sky Kid and Spy Hunter for the NES.

Sunsoft says it was more faithful and truer to the original FMV animations which was done by Don Bluth.

Both titles were originally released by Cinematronics, and originally animated by Don Bluth in 1983 and 1984, respectively. Richard Robbins is the head of Sunsoft's U.S. operations since 1986.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

November 6, 1987

Silicon Video Software, a game software company backed by Howard Scott Warshaw, Keithen Hayenga, Carol Shaw and Hal Finney (former game programmers), who had earned a developer's license for the NES is doing more Cassette System titles.

One of them were already in prospect was Genius, a game designed by Howard Scott Warshaw, with some real actors in mind.

Upstart English-based developers like Beam Software, Atari Games and Rare, Ltd. are also on the rise to became the fast-rising Nintendo developers.

The fast-rising Nintendo developer, headquartered in California is developing their FMV-based titles for the NES, to compete with Hasbro and their Atari 10400 projects.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

November 10, 1987

There are more new Nintendo products on the way! Acclaim would release Wizards & Warriors next month, while Capcom would release Mega Man, both titles on the new Nintendo Disk System, also scheduled next month.

Silicon Video Software also filmed Stash at San Francisco, a new horror survival title, scheduled as a title for 1988, on the Nintendo Cassette System, written and programmed by Carol Shaw.

It is reported that Chuck Brite would join the company, who served as programmer of the game. He previously programmed TRS-80 Color games. Two more employees followed, which are Bill Dunlevy and Harry Lafnear.

At Sega's competing game service Odyssey Video Pictures, it is reported that Ken Kalish, who did TRS-80 CoCo and Dragon 32/64 games would join the company to help design and program games. Steven Hirsch, who created Speed Racer for the TRS-80 CoCo, would also join the company.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

November 13, 1987

Skills at Sega of America, Inc. is rising. These were upstart American developers Nexa (who is developing the Master System adaptation of Monopoly) and Odyssey Video Pictures (a film-based company for cassette games) to develop Master System material.

Most Master System material is being done by all Japanese developers at Sega.

Mark Cerny says he's working on a Cassette System version of the Don Bluth video games Dragon's Lair and Space Ace.

And on Nashville, television station WNGE-TV is now WNNB (for Nashville NBC), reflecting its status as an owned-and-operated television station of the network. It also adopted "News Series 2001" by Frank Gari as the theme music, while the 1981 "Circle 2" logo is kept.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

November 17, 1987

Mattel, Inc. announced the European release of the Nintendo Cassette System for the January of 1988, along with the TriSystem (consisting of the standard NES, the Disk System and the Cassette System combined).

Mattel last released the Nintendo Disk System in the January of 1987, and it was highly successful.

It is reported that Mattel could post a strong increase from making their own video games.

Mattel is Nintendo's official distributor and license agent for the European market. The Cassette System would soon to have Super Mario Bros. 3 next year.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

November 20, 1987

It is reported that TVX Broadcast Group would sell WPDS-TV to religious outlet Tri-State Christian Network, which is backed by Garth and Tina Coonce, and it is reported that Atlanta-based Cox Broadcasting, who acquired WFTV last year was in talks to buy independent outlet WTTV.

Cox's price for WTTV cost $750 million, while TCT's price for WPDS would be $675 million.

Cox has plans to acquire WPDS' stronger programming, including the Fox affiliation to move the programming over to WTTV.

WTTV is currently an independent television station. It is expected that Cox could start a news-intensive operation for WTTV, similar to what KTVU did as a news-intensive television format.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

November 23, 1987

Nintendo of America Inc., which was based in Seattle, announced that the Nintendo Cassette System would become a gift for the Thanksgiving holiday, along with the TriSystem, to increase their revenue.

The competition only came from Action Max, which was also a challenger to the Nintendo Cassette System.

Atari began programming tri-console adapters for the new Atari 10400, such as Atari ST games, like cartridge adapter with cartridge conversions of the Atari ST games, as well as a floppy disk drive, and a keyboard.

Nintendo began planning a keyboard to the Nintendo Entertainment System (basically a localized Family BASIC), for release in the winter of 1988, along with a mouse adapter, developed and designed by Sony.

 

[MegaToon1234]

November 23, 1987

Nintendo of America Inc., which was based in Seattle, announced that the Nintendo Cassette System would become a gift for the Thanksgiving holiday, along with the TriSystem, to increase their revenue.

The competition only came from Action Max, which was also a challenger to the Nintendo Cassette System.

Atari began programming tri-console adapters for the new Atari 10400, such as Atari ST games, like cartridge adapter with cartridge conversions of the Atari ST games, as well as a floppy disk drive, and a keyboard.

Nintendo began planning a keyboard to the Nintendo Entertainment System (basically a localized Family BASIC), for release in the winter of 1988, along with a mouse adapter, developed and designed by Sony.

Looking good so far, so are you gonna do December 1987 now?

 

[DucNguyen0131]

OK.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

December 1, 1987

Nintendo Co., Ltd. of Japan is unveiling an accessory to compete with the Sega Graphic Board, the Design Board. It is said that they would require a stylus that was bundled with a unit, like the competitor's graphic board.

It was developed and designed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, who has developed accessories for the Famicom (Sony would eventually hire upstart developers to help with the production).

Sony Interactive Entertainment would later develop Nintendo-equipped software, such as the Super Famicom, which was in pre-production.

The Nintendo Design Board was to allow a new paint program, also designed and developed by Sony, which uses the Design Board tablet along with a stylus pen that came with the board. It is expected to be in stores Q2 1988.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

December 8, 1987

Just in time for the Christmas shopping season, Sunsoft has officially been releasing the Cassette System versions of Dragon's Lair and Space Ace, in order to meet up the qualities of the Sony adapter.

These two titles were conceived by Don Bluth in the early 1980s, and Sunsoft got the rights from Sullivan Bluth Studios to convert it.

According to 625 people at Sunsoft, including Hiroaki Higashiya, who programmed the titles, it is reported that the titles were stay close to the original version Don Bluth has ever been received.

Sunsoft also had its own subsidiary Sun Corporation of America to distribute U.S. titles. The TTL titles by Sunsoft were better than the cartridge versions on the NES and SNES, which is indeed bad.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

December 10, 1987

Capcom has officially announced that Rockman would be released next week for the Famicom Disk System. This game has lots of battery backup memory, and it is reported that they would help them to save data.

Activision officially announced that a Transformers game is coming out on the NES, which was basically a fixed and localized version of the Mystery of Convoy game for the Famicom, due out in the Winter CES 1988.

Sunsoft said at the Winter CES 1988 that they would preview the Don Bluth animated hit Dragon's Lair and Space Ace to the Nintendo Cassette System.

It is reported that the developers at Rare, Ltd. take their time to program their games at GameTek (BTW, the 1988 WGA strike has been butterflied away, thus prompted a renewal of the agreements).

 

[DucNguyen0131]

December 14, 1987

Capcom U.S.A., Inc. said that the Mega Man title for the Nintendo Disk System is out by Christmas. Sony announced a deal with Bullet-Proof Software to develop material for the Nintendo Cassette System.

The TriSystem is the fastest-growing game system ever made, combining the three Nintendo systems.

Nintendo has no comment on the announcement. Nintendo had reports to preview some titles for the Winter CES 1988.

Meanwhile, Atari Games Corp. was preparing R.B.I. Baseball, Gauntlet and Star Wars for the NES and The Living Daylights for the Nintendo Disk System at the Winter CES 1988 under the Tengen brand name.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

December 17, 1987

Rockman made its debut for the Famicom Disk System. Another promising title from Square, Final Fantasy made its debut on the Famicom Disk System, courtesy of the folks at the Disk Original Group, which were Japanese founding fathers.

Those games become the strongest titles of the year for the Christmas shopping season on the Famicom Disk System.

Each title requires battery-backing save, so it could store all data.

Rockman is an action platformer, while Final Fantasy would be a role-playing game. Each sold 250,000 copies in its first week on the top of the Disk System charts in Japan.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

December 22, 1987

As Capcom USA is making its debut with Mega Man on the Nintendo Disk System next week, Acclaim Entertainment offered Wizards & Warriors as a title for the Nintendo Disk System this Christmas.

This title is designed and developed by Rare, Ltd., and it required battery backup saving, as usual with the Disk System titles, like CastleVania and The Legend of Zelda.

It was a platformer, and it was Rare's second title for the NES after Slalom.

Rare has a contract with Jaleco to release the title for the Japanese market on July 15, 1988 for its Japanese counterpart the Famicom Disk System.

 

[DucNguyen0131]

December 24, 1987

This is one important busy day before Christmas, as the Federal Communications Commission filed a permanent waiver request to Cox Enterprises, stating that they would co-own both WHIO-TV in Dayton and WTTV in Indianapolis, both in nearby Ohio and Indiana.

WTTV will be merged into WPDS, which was about to be a religious television station, operating on channel 59.

Cox would begin a news-intensive producing schedule done for WTTV in Indianapolis, one of the leading independent stations.

The news-intensive format came from sister station in San Francisco, which is KTVU in Oakland, which is one of Fox's charter affiliates.