Time Gal & Ninja Hayate

19,99

“TIME GAL & NINJA HAYATE” NTSC- J (JAP) for SEGA Saturn.

This a reproduction game, so you will get 2 new high-quality CD-Rs (with colored silk-screen printing), in a new black double jewel case (with colored covers on glossy cardboard), without manual, inside a new transparent film case.

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Time Gal is an interactive movie video game developed and published by Taito and Malone Films, and originally released in Japan for the arcades in 1985. It is an action game which uses full motion video (FMV) to display the on-screen action. The player must correctly choose the on-screen character’s actions to progress the story. The pre-recorded animation for the game was produced by Toei Animation.

The game is set in a fictional future where time travel is possible. The protagonist, Reika, travels to different time periods in search of a criminal, Luda, from her time. After successfully tracking down Luda, Reika prevents her plans to alter the past.

Time Gal was inspired by the success of earlier laserdisc video games, most notably the 1983 title Dragon’s Lair, which also used pre-recorded animation. The game was later ported to the Sega CD for a worldwide release, and also to the LaserActive in Japan. The home console versions received a mixed reception.

Gameplay

Time Gal is a FMV-based game which uses pre-recorded animation rather than sprites to display the on-screen action. Gameplay is divided into levels, referred to as time periods. The game begins in 4001 AD with the theft of a time travel device. The thief, Luda, steals the device to take over the world by changing history. Reika, the protagonist also known as Time Gal, uses her own time travel device to pursue him; she travels to different time periods, such as 70,000,000 BC, 44 BC, 1588 AD, and 2010 AD, in search of Luda. Each time period is a scenario which presents a series of threats that must be avoided or confronted. Successfully navigating the sequences allows the player to progress to another period.

The player uses a joystick and button to input commands, though home versions use a game controller with a directional pad. As the game progresses, visual cues—highlighted portions of the background or foreground—will appear on the screen to help survive the dangers that occur throughout the stage; more difficult settings omit the visual cues. Depending on the location of the cue, the player will input one of four directions (up, down, left and right) or an attack (shoot the target with a laser gun). Inputting the correct command will either avoid or neutralize the threats and progress the game, while incorrect choices result in the character’s death. Reika dying too many times results in a game over. Specific moments in the game involve Reika stopping time. During these moments, players are presented with a list of three options and have seven seconds to choose the one which will save the character.

Development

The game uses LaserDisc technology to stream pre-recorded animation, which was produced by Japanese studio Toei Animation. The game features raster graphics on a CRT monitor and amplified monaural sound. Reika’s physical appearance was possibly derived from either Lum from Urusei Yatsura or Yuri from Dirty Pair. Several factors prevented an overseas release: a decline in the popularity of laserdisc arcade games in the mid-80s, the expensive price of laserdisc technology, and difficulty to translate, The only international ports for the game is for the Sega CD. In the original Japanese release, Reika is voiced by Yuriko Yamamoto.

Release

Since its original release to the arcades in Japan in 1985, Time Gal has been ported to different home formats. It was first released exclusively in Japan by Nippon Victor on the Video High Density format; it could be played on Microsoft’s MSX via a Sony laserdisc player. The release of Sega CD console in 1991 spawned numerous games that took advantage of the CD technology to introduce interactive FMVs. Among the new titles, Time Gal was one of several older laserdisc-based games that were ported to the system. Renovation Products acquired the rights to publish Time Gal on the Sega CD, with Wolf Team handling development. They released it, along with similar games, as part of their “Action-Reaction” series. It was first released in Japan in November 1992, and in North America and Europe the next year. A Macintosh version was also released in Japan in 1994.

American press coverage of the Japanese release prompted video game enthusiasts to contact Renovations about a Western release. The number of requests persuaded Renovation’s president, Hide Irie, to announce a release in the USA. In addition to being dubbed in English, a few death scenes in the US version were censored. The Sega CD version uses a smaller color palette than the original, includes a video gallery which requires passwords to view each level’s animation sequences, and features a new opening and ending theme by Shinji Tamura and Motoi Sakuraba respectively. Time Gal was ported to the PlayStation in 1996 as a compilation with Ninja Hayate, another laserdisc arcade game developed by Taito. This release lacks the Sega CD version’s additional content, but features a more accurate reproduction of the animation. The compilation was also released on the Sega Saturn the following year. The game can also be played on the Pioneer LaserActive via the Sega Mega-LD module. The LaserActive version is the rarest home release of Time Gal, as well as one of the most expensive on the system among collectors.

On April 1, 2017, Taito Classics announced that they would release several of their older games onto mobile devices, with Time Gal being its first release. The game was later released in Japan on April 5, 2017. The ability to use the game’s navigational function and the ability to see the game’s original concept art can be acquired through in-app purchases.

Reception and legacy

GamePro magazine noted that “Japanese players ate it up” when it first released in Japanese arcades. However, GameSetWatch’s Todd Ciolek believed it was released too late in the life of LaserDisc games, and that players “were getting tired” of the genre’s gameplay. He further commented that, despite its gameplay, it was unique and charming. GamePros reviewer referred to the arcade game as a “lost, laserdisc treasure”, and was enthusiastic about its Sega CD release. He called the death sequences “hilarious” and felt they reduced the tediousness of dying. MEGA magazine rated the Sega CD version the number five CD game, commenting that though it lacked difficulty, it was a good showcase of the system. Prior to its Sega CD release, Electronic Gaming Monthly praised the use of CD technology and felt it would be followed by titles with similar gameplay.

Critics praised Time Gals visuals. GameFan magazine, in praising Wolfteam’s port of the game, complimented the Sega CD version’s graphics and short load times. GamePro said the animation is “great, with bright, vivid colors, and fast-paced, exciting movement” and praised the “funny gameplay” and “nonstop action”. Chris Bieniek of VideoGames & Computer Entertainment criticized the story as “nonsensical” and said that while the unlockable video gallery is a nice feature, it effectively eliminates any replay value, which compounds the easiness of the game to give it very low longevity. He nonetheless recommended Time Gal, based chiefly on the gameplay: “Though you never really feel like you’re in control of Time Gal’s movements, the zany action has an undeniable appeal that takes up a lot of the slack.” Shawn Sackenheim of AllGame complimented the animation, calling it “high quality”, but criticized the Sega CD graphics, calling them “downgraded”. He commented that, though Time Gal offered a good thrill, it lacked replay value. Ciolek echoed similar statements, saying it is more enjoyable to watch than to play. He further commented that the game is frustrating and rigid when compared to more contemporary standards. Electronic Gaming Monthlys group of reviewers praised the Sega CD version’s graphics quality. Three of the four reviewers lauded the gameplay, specifically the challenge and format. The other reviewer stated he didn’t care for this type of game, referring to the gameplay as “nothing more than memorizing”.

Author Masaru Takeuchi attributes the origin of the quick time event game mechanic to laserdisc games like Dragon’s Lair and Time Gal. IGN’s Levi Buchanan listed FMV games like Time Gal as one of the reasons behind the Sega CD’s commercial failure, citing them as a waste of the system’s capabilities. Ciolek referred to the protagonist as one of the first human heroines in the industry. He further added that Reika was an appealing lead character that Taito could have easily turned into a mascot and featured in other games and media. The character was later included in Alfa System’s shooting game Castle of Shikigami III—Taito published the arcade version in Japan. In the game, Reika features similar attacks and personality but the character’s visual design was updated. Reika’s most recent appearance was in the Elevator Action remake Elevator Action Deluxe as one of the few free Taito DLCs.

From Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Gal

Ninja Hayate (忍者ハヤテ) is a 1984 laserdisc video game first developed and released by Taito and Malone Films for arcades in Japan and the United States. The game was later ported to the Sega CD video game console as Revenge of the Ninja in 1994.

Arcade game

The game tells the story of a skilled and daring teenage ninja named Hayate, infiltrating an evil castle in an attempt to rescue a princess he loves. Hayate must survive a collection of deathtraps and defeat a variety of mythological creatures and other adversaries on his quest to save the princess and destroy the castle.

The game draws players to guide Hayate with a joystick for moving him around and one button for using weapons through 15 different stages that take place in feudal Japan-based areas. There are three difficulty levels.

Like earlier laserdisc games such as Don Bluth’s Dragon’s Lair, Ninja Hayate contains traps and creatures that requires players to dodge or attack them at specific moments, by watching for the warning buzzer (like Dragon’s Lair) in addition to flashing objects (e.g. arrows, buttons, light, etc.). If a player makes a mistake, one life decreases, and when players run out of lives, the game ends.

Unlike Don Bluth’s laserdisc games, Ninja Hayate is animated with anime drawings by Toei Animation. Another difference is that the game flashes the buttons that need to be pressed directly on the screen. Sometimes it also flashes multiple possible button presses on screen, indicating different paths that the player can take.

Home versions

The Sega CD version was published by Renovation Products, Telenet Japan’s North American subsidiary. Renovation sent “Master of the Ninja Arts” diplomas to players who mailed them photographic proof that they had beaten the game on hard mode. Revenge of the Ninja was also later converted by Ecseco to the Sega Saturn and PlayStation. These versions were released only in Japan as part of a double bill with Time Gal, another animated laserdisc arcade game conversion made by Taito, as Interactive Movie Action – Time Gal and Ninja Hayate.

Reception

GamePro gave the Sega CD version a negative review, saying the game is inferior to Dragon’s Lair and Time Gal with unexciting gameplay and “grainy and soupy looking” graphics. The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it a 6.4 out of 10, commenting that the gameplay relies “more on memorization than anything else. Nice animation though.”

Legacy

The original arcade version had no music except opening and ending theme. Entire music played on the Sega CD version were newly composed.

From Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_Hayate

Additional information

Weight0.210 kg
Dimensions12 × 12 × 1 cm
Format

NTSC-J (JAP)

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