X Marks the Spot - A Nintendo and Microsoft console timeline

Apple iArcade - Launch Weekend
(AN: Good to be back. Sorry I kept everyone waiting for so long, but the Apple iArcade launch is here and I've finally gotten to the seventh generation of games. Enjoy!)

Apple iArcade

Appearance: Physically, the Apple iArcade is rectangular in shape, but with rounded corners and edges that make it slightly similar in appearance to OTL's Wii U. In terms of measurements, it has a height of 3.6 inches (91.44 mm), a width of 12.5 inches (317.5 mm), and a depth of 10.9 inches (276.86 mm). The console itself is colored black, with a silver Apple logo on the top of the console. Like OTL's Xbox 360, the Apple iArcade uses a tray with its disc drive instead of automatically retracting the disc. The system's controller is built like OTL's DualSense controller, having both of the analogue sticks positioned near the bottom of the controller, with the d-pad and the face buttons on the top of the controller's face. The controller itself is also colored black for the shell, and grey/silver for the buttons, with the face buttons being (counter-clockwise from bottom), A, Ω, Θ, and Σ.

The Hardware: The Apple iArcade, being the first HD console ITTL, boasts technical specifications that easily dwarf the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo X in terms of power, with Apple consulting and working with the other two members of the AIM Alliance, IBM and Motorola, to develop components and figure out the system's architecture. It has 5.1 surround sound for its audio, and is capable of reading both CDs and DVD discs. The CPU for the Apple iArcade is named "Mirror", which runs on three cores clocked at 3.2 GHz (like OTL's Xenon for the Xbox 360, which was also developed by IBM), an L1 cache of 32/32 mb, and an L2 cache of 1 mb. The GPU, which is custom-built by Apple, IBM, and Motorola, is named "Glass", and has a frequency of 512 MHz. For resolution, the Apple iArcade can output up to 720p in high definition, though that depends on the formats used for displaying the resolution. The Apple iArcade's internal hard drive for storage was developed by Motorola, and can store up to 35 GB of content, with the iArcade also being capable of supporting external storage.

Infrastructure: Like the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo X, the Apple iArcade supports online multiplayer for its games, as well as other forms of online functionality. The main digital storefront for the Apple iArcade is an offshoot of iTunes called "iTunes Virtual", where players can buy and download games digitally onto their consoles, as well as downloadable content, applications like an internet browser and a music player, and updates for the system. iTunes Virtual is also accessible via computers, with players being able to buy content from their other devices and download them onto their console later. Unlike OTL's PS3 or Xbox 360, however, the iArcade does not have any kind of achievements system in place for its games. Voice chat is supported via various games or through the player's Apple account, allowing for more direct interaction between players in massively-multiplayer titles.

The Software: The Apple iArcade launched with eleven games in total, with six of them being console exclusives, three of which are published by Apple's publishing label for video games, Apple Virtual Entertainment. All six of these console exclusives would also see ports to macOS computers in the following months. The titles are as follows:

Tomb Raider Arisen

Tomb Raider Arisen
is an action-adventure game developed by Eidos and published by Apple. It is the first Tomb Raider title to be developed under Apple's ownership, and it is the marquee exclusive for the Apple iArcade. The gameplay remains close to the first three Tomb Raider games, featuring an emphasis on dungeon-crawling and puzzle-solving, and features a stance system for Lara; one stance allows her to brawl barehanded with punches and kicks, while the other allows her to use weapons such as a hunting knife, her dual pistols, etc. The setting of the game is mainly Greece, with eight of the nine levels/dungeons in total all being set in various cities and ruins across the country, with one exception. The nine locations are Alexandria, Athens, Corinth, Crete, Cyrene (the only location not in Greece, rather instead being in Libya), Delphi, Mount Olympus, Sparta, and Troy.

Arisen, from a storyline standpoint, is a complete continuity reboot of the series, though it keeps Lara's background as an archaeologist who is a member of the British aristocracy. Lara Croft is now voiced by Jo Wyatt, taking the place of OTL’s Keeley Hawes. Arisen’s story starts with Lara being approached by Milos Galanis (voiced by Daniel Brühl), a Greek historian and archaeologist who hires her to find and assemble the original manuscript of Homer’s Iliad, with the manuscript having been split into eight different components scattered across Alexandria, Athens, Corinth, Crete, Cyrene, Delphi, Sparta, and Troy. As she searches for the Iliad’s original draft, she is attacked and accosted by the Cult of Delphi, a religious order devoting themselves to worshipping the Greek Gods of old. While they try to steal the manuscript from her at various points, she manages to shake them off and assemble the manuscript. When the manuscript is assembled, it depicts more than what the final version had shown; the original draft depicts all ten years of the war, rather than the last few weeks of it, and more specifically, it reveals that Paris hadn’t garnered the attention of the Greek Gods by himself, but rather used a summoning ritual to summon them, promising them human sacrifice if they help him begin a war in Troy.

When Lara finishes reading, she is kidnapped by the Cult of Delphi, and finds herself on Mount Olympus. After breaking free of her bonds and traversing it, she finds Milos Galanis waiting for her at the top along with the rest of the Cult of Delphi. Milos reveals that he is the Greek deity Apollo, and that the final version of the Iliad had been written by him; the Greek Gods had him kill and replace the original Homer, and he had written the final version of the Iliad in order to cover up the crimes of the Greek Gods. However, Apollo had also been exiled from Olympus centuries prior, and because the original manuscript detailed the summoning spell for the Olympians, he needed to assemble it in order to return to Olympus. As he begins the summoning spell, Lara fights off the Cult of Delphi, and then fights Apollo. While she is unable to defeat Apollo herself, he is killed by his twin sister Artemis, who descended from Olympus to end his bloodshed. She apologizes to Lara Croft for the actions of her brother and her extended family, and gives Lara her blessing, giving her an enchanted Drachma coin that Lara can use to summon Artemis whenever she needs her help. She then transports Lara back to England, and Lara stores the coin deep inside Croft Manor, hiding it from the outside world.

Tomb Raider Arisen receives mostly-positive reviews. While the story is considered to be weak, the gameplay and exploration is very well-liked, and the game is praised as being a comeback for the series after the disastrous Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness from 2002. The game is bundled alongside some Apple iArcade consoles, and manages to sell around three million units in total during the launch period, and would go on to sell more across the iArcade’s lifespan. Arisen cements Apple’s confidence in their decision to acquire Eidos, and they put the Tomb Raider brand at the front and center, immediately commissioning a sequel for the iArcade.

Veloce

Veloce is a racing simulation game akin to Sonty’s Gran Turismo series and OTL’s Forza games. Developed by AVE Florence (an internal division of Apple Virtual Entertainment based in Florence, Italy), the game features upwards of 275+ cars with an emphasis on European automobile manufacturers, such as Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Aston-Martin, Fiat, Lamborghini, Masserati, Volvo, Volkswagen, Rolls-Royce, Porsche, Bentley, and more. The game has twenty-four different tracks based off of real-world locations, which are:
  • Barcelona, Spain
  • Beijing, China
  • Berlin, Germany
  • Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Cairo, Egypt
  • Casablanca, Morocco
  • Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Lisbon, Portugal
  • Lima, Peru
  • London, United Kingdom
  • Mexico City, Mexico
  • Monte Carlo
  • Moscow, Russia
  • Paris, France
  • Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
  • Rome, Italy
  • San Francisco, United States
  • Seoul, South Korea
  • Singapore
  • Stockholm, Sweden
  • Sydney, Australia
  • Tokyo, Japan
  • Vancouver, Canada
  • Vienna, Austria
Veloce receives positive reviews from critics and audiences, who compare it favorably to Gran Turismo as a racing simulator, noting the large number of cars and the variety in real-world locations. That being said, some end up criticizing the cars for being limited only to European brands and companies, rather than also using brands from other countries. That being said, the game’s European emphasis helps it sell very well in European countries, with Veloce even outperforming Tomb Raider Arisen in some of them.

ESPN NBA 2k6

ESPN NBA 2k6
remains mostly the same from its OTL counterpart, using Shaquille O’Neal as the main basketball player on the cover art and in promotions. However, because of Apple now owning the 2K Sports brand, they also elect to use Shaquille O’Neal to help them advertise the Apple iArcade in America, creating and airing a series of commercials where he promotes it to audiences. The game’s graphics are also enhanced at Apple’s behest, wanting it to be an early benchmark of the iArcade’s power. It ends up receiving slightly more positive reviews than OTL’s game, but it still ends up being criticized for the controls, UI, and lack of any solid improvements compared to previous games in the series, though it being a sports game means it was always going to sell well regardless.

Soulcalibur III

Soulcalibur III is a 3D weapon-based fighting game developed by Project Soul and published by SNK Namco. It is the long-awaited sequel to the incredibly popular Soulcalibur II, and Apple, knowing this game was anticipated by audiences and remembering how the original Soulcalibur was a system seller for the Dreamcast, paid for the game to be a console exclusive for the Apple iArcade. As a result of this, SNK Namco worked to make Soulcalibur III much more visually appealing than previous games in the series, while also adding in an online mode and OTL’s create-a-soul mode.

Gameplay-wise, it plays much faster than the previous games in the series, and is closer to OTL’s Soulcalibur V in terms of speed and mechanics. The game features most of the same roster from OTL’s game (Astaroth, Cassandra, Cervantes, Ivy, Kilik, Lizardman, Maxi, Mitsurugi, Nightmare, Raphael, Rock, Seong Mi-na, Siegfried, Sophitia, Taki, Talim, Voldo, Xianghua, Yoshimitsu, and Yun-seong as the returning characters, and Abyss, Olcadan, Setsuka, Tira, and Zasalamel as newcomers), but with some additions:
  • Aria - A Maori girl whose father is the Chieftain of their tribe, and who seeks the Soul Edge in order to fight off invading colonizers from her tribe’s lands.
  • Erik - A Viking lord who was deposed by his people for his cruel and tyrannical rule, he seeks to marshall forces to help him retake his kingdom.
  • Inferno - The only veteran in the game that wasn’t in OTL’s Soulcalibur III, who is now playable again instead of being removed after three appearances.
  • Lara Croft - One of the two guest characters, and the one advertised in promotional materials for the game. She was added in after the game was determined to be an iArcade exclusive (what with Tomb Raider now being owned by Apple), and uses a variety of weapons and hand-to-hand techniques from her home series.
  • Misako - A songstress from Japan, she fights with an odd combination of dancing techniques and magic, prioritizing grace and elegance while in combat over power, being something of a glass cannon.
  • Scorpion - The second of two guest characters and the more surprising one, Scorpion from Mortal Kombat was added as promotion for the upcoming Mortal Kombat: Carnage, which is also an iArcade exclusive. His moveset is taken from his home series (albeit sanitized to remove the gore), but adapted into a 3D environment, similar to Akuma in OTL’s Tekken 7.
Soulcalibur III is received much more positively than OTL’s version, though still not as good as Soulcalibur or Soulcalibur II. The character roster, create-a-soul, and gameplay are praised, but the online is seen as underwhelming and unstable, leading to a passable experience at best and a painful one at worst. Nonetheless, this gets evened out over more updates, and the game isn’t as forgotten as OTL’s game by the mainstream gaming public, going on to sell more than a million copies overall. There is some backlash from Nintendo and PlayStation fans over it being an Apple iArcade exclusive, but SNK Namco wouldn’t be abandoning those platforms for long, though Soulcalibur III wasn’t going to be ported to non-Apple platforms for a long time.

Call of Duty 2

Call of Duty 2
remains the same as OTL’s game, but due to the Xbox 360 being butterfield away, it is now a launch title and a console exclusive for the Apple iArcade instead. It is also the only launch title to have a simultaneous release on macOS, with the iArcade version being the port instead of the original version. It receives the same reception as OTL’s game, and sells just as well - WWII shooters are a genre that appeal easily to the casual audience, just like ESPN NBA and racing simulators.

Far Cry

Ubisoft and Crytek’s Far Cry, originally a Windows exclusive IOTL, now comes to the Apple iArcade as a console exclusive, with the macOS version coming a month afterwards. As a result of the original game being directly ported to the Apple iArcade, Far Cry Instincts ends up being butterflied, as the Apple iArcade’s processing power is far superior to that of OTL’s Xbox. Not only does Far Cry still get positive reviews and sell well on the iArcade, but the game’s added success ITTL causes Ubisoft to work out a deal with Crytek for the latter to develop more sequels for Far Cry, rather than having Ubisoft Montreal work on the series, something that will greatly change the course of the series going forward.

Other Games:

In addition to the six console exclusives listed above, five other multiplatform games are all available on the Apple iArcade from day one, those being Civilization IV, Crash Tag Team Racing, Def Jam: Fight for NY, Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater all being ported to the iArcade. These ports are enhanced from their original versions to have cleaner textures, faster loading speeds, and enhanced graphics all meant to take advantage of the Apple iArcade’s power. They receive about the same reception as their counterparts on other platforms, though many note the various enhancements and QOL features that make them more enjoyable to play over the other versions.

Launch Weekend:

The Apple iArcade launches on November 19th, 2005, with a standard bundle for $499.99, and a deluxe bundle featuring Tomb Raider Arisen plus an extra 25 GB of internal storage for $549.99. Sales of the new console are high, despite being much more expensive than the Nintendo X and PlayStation 2, as Apple had advertised the system to the wazoo, putting emphasis on the iArcade’s raw power, and also airing commercials featuring celebrities such as the aforementioned Shaquille O’Neal (for ESPN NBA 2K6), Angelina Jolie (parodying her role as Lara Croft in the live-action Tomb Raider movies), and Riccardo Patrese (for Veloce) advertising the console and specific games for it.

The Apple iArcade managed to sell over 3.5 million units in the launch month alone, thanks to being released one week before Black Friday and being seen as a desirable item for the holiday season, with many fights breaking out over console units in stores (though that’s just normal for Black Friday). As for the games that sold the most, Tomb Raider Arisen is the highest-selling due to it being bundled with consoles, though the raw numbers are:
  • Tomb Raider Arisen - 3,043,052
  • ESPN NBA 2K6 - 2,955,390
  • Veloce - 2,914,229
  • Call of Duty 2 - 2,512,334
  • Def Jam: Fight for NY - 2,243,787
  • Civilization IV - 2,061,549
  • Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - 1,653,984
  • Soulcalibur III - 1,439,003
  • Far Cry - 1,372,118
  • Crash Tag Team Racing - 943,298
  • Hulk: Ultimate Destruction - 720,102
Overall, the Apple iArcade’s launch period is seen as a success by Apple, though internally, Steve Jobs expresses disappointment over Apple not pricing the iArcade at a higher price (he had argued for pricing it at $599.99, but the majority had been wary of pricing the iArcade at a price that would’ve been seen as too high by consumers for a console). Nevertheless, the hype was worth the wait, and the pressure was on for Nintendo and Sony to tell audiences more about their own next-generation machines...
 
You’re back!

The Apple iArcade launches on November 19th, 2005, with a standard bundle for $499.99, and a deluxe bundle featuring Tomb Raider Arisen plus an extra 25 GB of internal storage for $549.99. Sales of the new console are high, despite being much more expensive than the Nintendo X and PlayStation 2, as Apple had advertised the system to the wazoo, putting emphasis on the iArcade’s raw power, and also airing commercials featuring celebrities such as the aforementioned Shaquille O’Neal (for ESPN NBA 2K6), Angelina Jolie (parodying her role as Lara Croft in the live-action Tomb Raider movies), and Riccardo Patrese (for Veloce) advertising the console and specific games for it.

The Apple iArcade managed to sell over 3.5 million units in the launch month alone, thanks to being released one week before Black Friday and being seen as a desirable item for the holiday season, with many fights breaking out over console units in stores (though that’s just normal for Black Friday). As for the games that sold the most, Tomb Raider Arisen is the highest-selling due to it being bundled with consoles, though the raw numbers are:
  • Tomb Raider Arisen - 3,043,052
  • ESPN NBA 2K6 - 2,955,390
  • Veloce - 2,914,229
  • Call of Duty 2 - 2,512,334
  • Def Jam: Fight for NY - 2,243,787
  • Civilization IV - 2,061,549
  • Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - 1,653,984
  • Soulcalibur III - 1,439,003
  • Far Cry - 1,372,118
  • Crash Tag Team Racing - 943,298
  • Hulk: Ultimate Destruction - 720,102
Overall, the Apple iArcade’s launch period is seen as a success by Apple, though internally, Steve Jobs expresses disappointment over Apple not pricing the iArcade at a higher price (he had argued for pricing it at $599.99, but the majority had been wary of pricing the iArcade at a price that would’ve been seen as too high by consumers for a console). Nevertheless, the hype was worth the wait, and the pressure was on for Nintendo and Sony to tell audiences more about their own next-generation machines...

As much as Apple avoided the infamous FIVE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE US DOLLARS itself, they got really close to it yet still sold well. I wonder if this will set a precedent for expensive consoles being acceptable and PlayStation 3 selling well despite having the infamous OTL price point, or if PlayStation 3 will still stumble due to the complex architecture causing few and inferior games at launch.
 
Wonder if this might butterfly away Crisis
We'll just have to wait and see. :p
As much as Apple avoided the infamous FIVE HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE US DOLLARS itself, they got really close to it yet still sold well. I wonder if this will set a precedent for expensive consoles being acceptable and PlayStation 3 selling well despite having the infamous OTL price point, or if PlayStation 3 will still stumble due to the complex architecture causing few and inferior games at launch.
The PlayStation 3 is gonna be...different in this timeline. The AIM alliance between Apple, IBM, and Motorola has caused IBM to develop hardware exclusively for Apple consoles as of now, which means that the Cell microprocessor (developed by Sony, Toshiba, and IBM IOTL) is butterflied.

Can't say too much on it now, but the PS3 is gonna be different, especially since the PS2 isn't as successful ITTL as it was IOTL (though still a very successful console nonetheless).
 
itself, they got really close to it yet still sold well.
That was X360 with HDD price at launch so they sold very close to cost,


Angelina Jolie (parodying her role as Lara Croft in the live-action Tomb Raider movies),

Parodying is a very strong word, as her movies weren't that bad(the 1st one was decent, the second was just weak), more like an homage
 
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MGS3 coming to iArcade is pretty significant IMO. Wonder if this means 4 will be multiplat.
IIRC mgs3 did was multiplatform because X improved sales and 4 depends on Kojima, OTL he wanted to support cell and PS3 that much make it exclusive even when Konami wanted otherwise, plus with a delayed PS3, Konami pacience might run thin, depends on that,
 
Banjo-X/Ridge Racer Portable
(AN: I deliberately kept this chapter shorter, as the last ones were fairly long and comprehensive. Think of this as being something of a Breather Episode, if you will.)

Banjo-X

Banjo-X is a platformer game for the Nintendo DS, developed by Rareware and published by Nintendo. It is a remake the original Banjo-Kazooie for the Nintendo 64, though unlike Super Mario 64 DS, Banjo-X is less of a 1-for-1 remake, and more of a metafictional reimagining of the original game. While it uses all of the same locations (Spiral Mountain, Gruntilda's Lair, Mumbo's Mountain, Treasure Trove Cove, Clanker's Cavern, Bubblegloop Swamp, Freezeezy Peak, Gobi's Valley, Mad Monster Mansion, Rusty Bucket Bauy, and Click Clock Woods) and starts off normally, the characters in the game slowly begin to show self-awareness at the "sameness" of the events, with the story becoming denser and wackier than the original game, as well as much more self-referential. This all culminates in the final battle, where Gruntilda reveals that the events of the game were an illusion; she trapped Banjo and Kazooie in a dream world reenacting the events of the first game, and from there everything goes off the rails in a spectacular final boss rush consisting of (in order) Mingella and Blobbelda from Banjo-Tooie, Gruntilda in Mumbo's body from Banjo-Ghoulie, the Dark Queen from Battletoads, the alien from the end of Conker's Bad Fur Day, King K. Rool from Donkey Kong Country, and even Fulgore from Killer Instinct. Eventualy, Gruntilda is defeated, causing Banjo and Kazooie to wake up in the real world, with both of them dismissing the events of the game as a bad fever dream.

Banjo-X is released on November 21, 2005, and receives incredibly positive reviews from critics and audiences, who deem it a great return to form for the bear and bird while keeping things original in its own way, with some even deeming it superior to Super Mario 64 DS by experimenting with the remake formula and not playing it safe like that game did. The game sells nearly 2 million copies in its overall lifespan, and while demands for a Banjo-Tooie or a Conker's Bad Fur Day remake grow with the release of Banjo-X, Rareware confirms that this was a one-time thing, and they intend to keep things original for most of their games for the time being.

Ridge Racer Portable

Ridge Racer Portable is a racing game developed and published by SNK Namco for the PlayStation Portable. With previous PlayStation consoles having had Ridge Racer games at launch, the lack of a new Ridge Racer installment during the PSP's launch was lamented by fans, though this was remedied around half a year after the PSP's launch when Ridge Racer Portable was announced at E3 2005. Like OTL's Ridge Racer for the PSP, this Ridge Racer acts as a compilation title of sorts for the series, featuring tracks, songs, and cars from the 90s installments of the series; in this case, the installments Ridge Racer Portable takes from are the original, 2, Rave Racer, Revolution, and Rage Racer. Ridge Racer Portable also features collaborations with Sony ITTL, having cars themed after Sony-owned games like Final Fantasy VII, Parappa the Rapper, Ape Escape, Twisted Metal, Wipeout, and Ratchet & Clank, among others, along with corresponding music tracks from those series, and even a racetrack from Chocobo Racing, in the form of Cid's Test Track, as well as a Twisted Metal-themed track based off of Midtown.

Ridge Racer Portable receives generally positive reviews from critics and audiences. While it doesn't look as good as OTL's Ridge Racer games in terms of graphics (due to TTL's PSP being much weaker than OTL's PSP), the collaborations with Sony and the content from past games make for a title that satisfies older Ridge Racer fans while drawing in some new ones to the series. That being said, the game being released a year after the PSP's launch hurts its sales performance somewhat once it is released, and it just barely meets the expectations put into place by SNK Namco. And while Sony's next-generation machine was still some time away, Ridge Racer Portable missing the launch of the PSP was seen as something of a failure in SNK Namco's eyes, and thus the Ridge Racer team quickly found themselves working on the series' next big installment...

Konami sends out survey asking fans about potential crossovers

"With the successes of Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. series, Capcom's Vs. series, SNK Namco's King of Fighters series, and most recently, Sony's PlayStation Mania, it was only a matter of time before other publishers decided to follow in their footsteps and create their own crossover franchises, and of this month, we have a clue as to who will be doing their own crossover series soon. Konami, the publisher overseeing such franchises as Metal Gear, Castlevania, Silent Hill, Contra, and Dance Dance Revolution, sent out a survey to fans regarding, among other things, feedback on their recent games and brand recognizability. One question, however, was targeted at gauging fan interest in a potential crossover by Konami. Not only that, but another question asked fans what brands they'd like to see Konami collaborate with in the future, with such brans as Image Comics, Toei Animation, and Hasbro as some of the potential brand listed. While this is only a survey so far, the fan response has been rather positive, with many a fan of Metal Gear or Castlevania excited to see their favorite franchises crossover with not just other Konami series, but entirely different brands as well."
 
That got butterflied away, and what I have in mind is also gonna butterfly some OTL games away as well.
I said as a gauge, that game was so awful dis make PSABR looked and played like a masterpiece by comparasion, at least DON have the Otaku hype
 
So, did Microsoft do the AMD -> Intel switch for the console?
This Change the whole Narrative Dean Takahashi(read him if you can find his books on the wild on the cheap side) always spouses, that Microsoft just have a vain idea of the GPU but was working with a Intel CPU because that was the one they were more familiar with thanks to Windows OS, if Microsoft did was working with AMD...that is a massive scenario itself too
 
So, did Microsoft do the AMD -> Intel switch for the console?
Considering that I didn't know about this until now, I'd say that the switch did happen here. But suppose AMD felt burnt enough that they decided to go with a competitor for a future console, say, oh I don't know, Sony?
 
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Considering that I didn't know about this until now, I'd say they the switch did happen here. But suppose AMD felt burnt enough that they decided to go with a competitor for a future console, say, oh I don't know, Sony?
If was mentioned before seems was a minor detail, seems even eluded dean Takahashi for a while, regardless maybe something happened backdoor? Intel Copperheadwas a technical marvel when released
 
Tecmo Rally
Tecmo Rally

Tecmo Rally
is a racing video game developed and published by Tecmo. It is inspired by games like Gran Turismo and Bizarre Creations’ Excitebike reboot, in that it takes a more “realistic” look at racing games than things like Mario Kart or Ridge Racer. The difference, however, is that Tecmo Rally revolves primarily around racing monster trucks, rather than race cars or dirt bikes, and bases its gameplay around making players feel as if they are actually driving monster trucks in an actual monster truck show. Tecmo had originally intended on making a much more straightforward racing game, but after some of their staff played a hands-on demo of Excitebike in early 2004, Tecmo ended up deciding to make a motocross-themed game instead of a racing simulator.

Tecmo Rally has two gameplay modes; Competition Mode and Freestyle Mode. Competition Mode puts the player in a series of races against other monster truck drivers, and plays like a standard racing mode. Freestyle Mode, meanwhile, has the player doing a solo round, but instead of racing, their goal is to perform as many stunts and tricks as they can within a three minute window of time. Online is integrated into both; Competition Mode has online matches that allow for players to race against others, while Freestyle Mode offers a leaderboard containing various records from the playerbase.

Like with Gran Turismo and Excitebike, Tecmo Rally uses a variety of real life monster truck brands, and was even done in partnership with Feld Entertainment, the owners of the Monster Jam brand. As a result of this, Tecmo Rally features a number of real life monster trucks such as Grave Digger, Bigfoot, Maximum Destruction, El Toro Loco, Carolina Crusher, Avenger, Blue Thunder, Bulldozer, etc., with some even having multiple variations based off of various versions used throughout the years, namely Grave Digger and Bigfoot. In addition to all of the real-life Monster Jam trucks, there is also a “create your own truck” option that allows players to create their own monster trucks, and it is a fairly in-depth creator as well, allowing to players to create their own art, decals, and offers a variety of truck bodies and wheels for them to choose from. And on top of allowing players to race real-life trucks and create their own, Tecmo also added monster trucks themed after their own game franchises; trucks based off of Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive, Rygar, Monster Rancher, Fatal Frame, and Galaxy Ark are all available as unlockable bonuses.

Tecmo Rally is released on December 5, 2005. While it was announced at Nintendo’s E3, it ends up launching on all platforms available at the time, those being the Nintendo X, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, Apple iArcade, Microsoft Windows and macOS, as Feld Entertainment mandated that the game needed to be released across all platforms if Tecmo wanted to use the Monster Jam brand and its associated trucks in Tecmo Rally. The Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable versions are developed by TOSE and are much more barebones than the console versions, having a smaller amount of tracks, trucks, and a more simplified truck creator. Despite the multiplatform nature of the game, Tecmo still adds in exclusive content into the Nintendo X version of the game; namely, they release a paid DLC pack shortly after the game’s release that brings trucks themed after Wario and Waluigi, as well as the Waluigi Stadium and Wario Colosseum courses from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Tecmo Rally
ends up receiving generally positive reviews from critics, who laud the customization, modes, and the variety of trucks to choose from, but dismiss the actual gameplay as being too derivative of Excitebike and generally unremarkable, though still entertaining nonetheless. Tecmo Rally is accompanied by a large advertising campaign courtesy of Monster Jam, who advertise the game at many of their events and rallies in late 2005, up until the game’s release date. The large advertising campaign plus the multiplatform launch results in Tecmo Rally selling incredibly well, averaging out at around 6.6 million units in terms of overall sales. Broken down by platform, those sales amount to:
  • Nintendo X - 1,922,145 units
  • Apple iArcade - 1,752,053 units
  • PlayStation 2 - 1,452,007 units
  • Windows - 704,234 units
  • macOS - 520,334 units
  • Nintendo DS - 383,608 units
  • PlayStation Portable - 102,897 units
While the Nintendo X version of Tecmo Rally sold the best, the Apple iArcade version managed to hold its own, mainly due to the lack of other games on the iArcade outside of the launch titles, as well as the iArcade’s version having enhanced graphics compared to the Nintendo X version, and especially the PlayStation 2 version. This multiplatform success isn’t ignored by Tecmo, who quickly begin thinking about balancing their support across all platforms, and which of their games they can port to other platforms as soon as possible…

Rareware announces Sister of the Battletoads at the Spike Video Game Awards

"With the success of Return of the Battletoads as a launch title for the Nintendo DS, the subject of a sequel became speculated about fans, and their answer has arrived sooner than they likely expected. At the Spike Video Game Awards, a trailer for Sister of the Battletoads was shown off, confirming that a sequel to Return of the Battletoads was in production and scheduled for release on the Nintendo DS in late 2006. The trailer shows Rash, Pimple, and Zitz discovering that they have a long-lost sister named Acne in an animated cinematic, with the four of them teaming up to defeat the Dark Queen once again, who has teamed up with a whale-like entity known as Leviathan that is capable of flying through space and eating whole stars. The trailer also showed off local co-op play, where up to four players can join in if each of them have Nintendo DS. The trailer also revealed that the game would have full voice acting, though we were unable to identify the voice actors of each character just yet. Overall, the Nintendo DS already had an impressive 2006 before with Mario Kart DS, Legionite, Halo Tactics, Mega Man 9, Tokyo Tale, and Devil May Cry: The Legend of Sparta, and now the addition of Sister of the Battletoads only increased the Nintendo DS' status as a must-have handheld."

Sony confirms that they have "no plans" to release a next-generation console in 2006; Sony and Toshiba reportedly in talks with NEC

"Earlier this year, it was reported on that development on Sony's next-generation console had come to a halt due to IBM's involvement in the Apple-IBM-Motorola (AIM) alliance, as IBM had been involved early on in assisting Sony and Toshiba with developing a next-generation console, but the partnership was broken off due to IBM's cooperation with Apple and Motorola on the Apple iArcade. Since then, Sony and Toshiba have reportedly been searching for a hardware developer to take IBM's place, as IBM was rumored to be assisting Sony and Toshiba in creating a custom CPU for Sony's next-generation console. However, with development of said console stalling for month, it seems as if plans have changed from creating custom components to using pre-existing ones, as Sony and Toshiba have allegedly been in talks with NEC to use components developed by them in place of the custom-developed ones. When asked for confirmation if the rumors of them cooperating with NEC was true, a Sony representative simply stated that Sony has "no plans" to release any new hardware in 2006, and that for the time being, it would continue supporting the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, implying that the rumors about Sony's next-generation being delayed to 2007 are correct."
 
Some people are asking me, so I'm just gonna state it right here: no, this isn't abandoned.

Right now I have lots of stuff on my plate in real life that needs my attention, so this has taken a backseat for the time being. I still intend to have another chapter out this month, but for now, expect for updates to slow down until I have the time.
 
Some people are asking me, so I'm just gonna state it right here: no, this isn't abandoned.

Right now I have lots of stuff on my plate in real life that needs my attention, so this has taken a backseat for the time being. I still intend to have another chapter out this month, but for now, expect for updates to slow down until I have the time.
Got it!
 
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