View Full Version : One hit wonder companies?
Gapporin
06-25-2008, 12:44 PM
In the world of music, a "one-hit wonder" is a group or artist who makes that one big hit that tops the charts, but then spends the rest of their career in obscurity or mediocrity.
This concept could be applied to video games as well, except when I speak about "one hit wonder companies", I'm talking about companies who only put out one game total before folding. I've thought of a few examples myself:
Crack Dot Com (Created "Abuse", was working on a game called "Golgotha" when they folded)
Eclipse Productions/World Tree Games (Created "Tyrian"/"Tyrian 2000" (2000 is the same game, just with a few minor upgrades). Same company, but they changed their name halfway through their lifespan. They were involved in a lot of different productions, most of which never were finished. Last known porting "Tyrian 2000" to the Gameboy and Gameboy Advance, neither of which made it out the door)
Valkyrie Studios (Created "Septerra Core", was working a game called "Seraphim" when they folded)
Can anyone think of any others? It's alright if they had multiple products planned, but I'm looking for companies that only had one game released to their name. Any era is welcome.
In the world of music, a "one-hit wonder" is a group or artist who makes that one big hit that tops the charts, but then spends the rest of their career in obscurity or mediocrity.
This concept could be applied to video games as well, except when I speak about "one hit wonder companies", I'm talking about companies who only put out one game total before folding. I've thought of a few examples myself:
Crack Dot Com (Created "Abuse", was working on a game called "Golgotha" when they folded)
Eclipse Productions/World Tree Games (Created "Tyrian"/"Tyrian 2000" (2000 is the same game, just with a few minor upgrades). Same company, but they changed their name halfway through their lifespan. They were involved in a lot of different productions, most of which never were finished. Last known porting "Tyrian 2000" to the Gameboy and Gameboy Advance, neither of which made it out the door)
Valkyrie Studios (Created "Septerra Core", was working a game called "Seraphim" when they folded)
Can anyone think of any others? It's alright if they had multiple products planned, but I'm looking for companies that only had one game released to their name. Any era is welcome.
to make it a one hit wonder, I think the game has to actually be good.
I dunno about the rest but septerra core was an abomination :|
Bojay1997
06-25-2008, 02:22 PM
to make it a one hit wonder, I think the game has to actually be good.
I dunno about the rest but septerra core was an abomination :|
Agreed. The whole cache of one-hit wonder is that the band had a top ten hit and then never repeated the success. Otherwise, it's just a band or company that failed completely.
Agreed. The whole cache of one-hit wonder is that the band had a top ten hit and then never repeated the success. Otherwise, it's just a band or company that failed completely.
I'd have to say Cavedog is a one hit wonder company, Total A was amazing, especially the online. Kingdoms was horrible and after that they shutdown.
Fuyukaze
06-25-2008, 02:56 PM
I actualy liked septerra core. It wasnt that great but there is worse.
I actualy liked septerra core. It wasnt that great but there is worse.
like what! ;p
horrible graphics
bad story
bad cutscenes
and worse progression :|
and worse combat ever
not to mention slow as hell
Kitsune Sniper
06-25-2008, 03:20 PM
like what! ;p
horrible graphics
bad story
bad cutscenes
and worse progression :|
and worse combat ever
not to mention slow as hell
...
It played just like FF7?
DigitalSpace
06-25-2008, 04:31 PM
EDIT: Nevermind.
SpaceHarrier
06-25-2008, 07:13 PM
Seibu Kaihatsu.
Raiden
(I loved the sequel more, but the first one was ported all over the place. The second was just on the PSX compilation and ported to Windows)
Tamsoft.
Battle Arena Toshinden
(I enjoyed the sequel to this one as well, but yeah..)
Ok, so I didn't read the topic fully until I posted this. Apologies to OP, I can't think of a-one. So this is just your 'one hit wonders that continued developing in obscurity for eternity'.
Whats all the hate for Septera Core? While it's hardly the greatest RPG ever, it was still a decent game and did it's best with what it had.
And while we're talking about Monolith, Shogo was another good game they made and still has a small following last time I checked. It's a shame that they never released the other 2 episodes.
Overbite
06-25-2008, 09:31 PM
I wouldn't call Monolith a one hit wonder company because they made Blood, Shogo, No One Live Forever 1 and 2, and FEAR
Ed Oscuro
06-25-2008, 11:35 PM
I wouldn't call Monolith a one hit wonder company because they made Blood, Shogo, No One Live Forever 1 and 2, and FEAR
Now they've made the Condemned games...not altogether shabby if you ask me.
My votes:
The blighters behind Limbo of the Lost
and
The team behind Ex-Ranza (aka Ranger-X, that development house made literally only one game)
Seibu Kaihatsu.
Raiden
(I loved the sequel more, but the first one was ported all over the place. The second was just on the PSX compilation and ported to Windows)
Yeah right.
Raiden is indeed a landmark classic, but Raiden DX more than kept them going. They also put out interesting titles like Empire City 1931 and Dynamite Duke, and Dynamite Duke got at least three ports (SMS, Mega Drive, X68000 are ones I can think of).
Lately they released Raiden Fighters Aces, a three-game compilation for the 360 with all three Raiden Fighters games.
Raiden Fighters Jet recently landed near the top (or maybe it was the top?) of my personal Top 25 shooters list (and it did well in the SHMUPS.com poll); and Seibu is about to release Raiden 4.
...
It played just like FF7?
ur horrible ;p
Whats all the hate for Septera Core? While it's hardly the greatest RPG ever, it was still a decent game and did it's best with what it had.
And while we're talking about Monolith, Shogo was another good game they made and still has a small following last time I checked. It's a shame that they never released the other 2 episodes.
"best with what it had" yeah right
shogo was amazing ;p but monolith isnt a one hit wonder ^^
williewonka2k1
06-26-2008, 02:03 AM
"Z" by the Bitmap Brothers is a WTS for the PC and Saturn Pal that is fucking INCREDIBLE!!!
PLAY/LOOK AT THIS GAME
Ed Oscuro
06-26-2008, 02:36 AM
"Z" by the Bitmap Brothers is a WTS for the PC and Saturn Pal that is fucking INCREDIBLE!!!
PLAY/LOOK AT THIS GAME
But they had other hits - Soldiers of Fortune being one of them.
williewonka2k1
06-26-2008, 03:05 AM
they did that too?? well "Z" is still pretty under the radar.
Parodius
06-26-2008, 03:13 AM
Hey, the Bitmaps were also responsible for many excellent games on the Amiga like Speedball 2 and Xenon 2: Megablast.
j_factor
06-26-2008, 03:35 AM
Sega Racing Studio was shut down recently. They only made one game, Sega Rally Revo.
I believe AMOK's developer only made that one game before folding.
Ed Oscuro
06-26-2008, 03:36 AM
I'm not such a big fan of Xenon II but it has some classy (http://youtube.com/watch?v=0YDp77erUD8) mixed music (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Q4y1tnp8gUk)
SpaceHarrier
06-26-2008, 03:51 AM
Yeah right.
Raiden is indeed a landmark classic, but Raiden DX more than kept them going. They also put out interesting titles like Empire City 1931 and Dynamite Duke, and Dynamite Duke got at least three ports (SMS, Mega Drive, X68000 are ones I can think of).
Lately they released Raiden Fighters Aces, a three-game compilation for the 360 with all three Raiden Fighters games.
Raiden Fighters Jet recently landed near the top (or maybe it was the top?) of my personal Top 25 shooters list (and it did well in the SHMUPS.com poll); and Seibu is about to release Raiden 4.
I stand corrected!
Haoie
06-26-2008, 04:25 AM
Now here's a controversial topic.
My contribution is Whoopee Camp. They created Tomba [also known as Tombi] and its sequal, both quite highly rated platformers for the PS1.
Then, disappeared forever.
Ed Oscuro
06-26-2008, 05:45 AM
I stand corrected!
Well, if it weren't for the way the topic was worded I'd have had to submerge my inner Seibu fanboy and admit it's right that Raiden may have been their most popular game.
Certainly, looking at my list, it's been the only series that has kept them developing games.
There have been few enough non-Raiden games from them; of these, Viper Phase 1 is the only one I can think of...it's essentially a Raiden, but doesn't play as well or look as good.
mgriff
06-26-2008, 09:14 AM
ASC Games -> Ten Pin Alley, ASC is now defunct/gone if i'm not mistaken...
Damaramu
06-26-2008, 12:47 PM
Tamsoft.
Err....Tamsoft is alive and well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamsoft
http://www.tamsoft.co.jp/
zemmix
06-26-2008, 01:05 PM
Silicon & Synapse. They made great games like Rock N' Roll Racing and Lost Vikings then just dissapeared...
Yes i'm kidding, they changed their name to Blizzard! Long live Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo!
j_factor
06-26-2008, 01:44 PM
Silicon & Synapse didn't disappear. You might have heard of Blizzard Entertainment? That's them.
ASC Games -> Ten Pin Alley, ASC is now defunct/gone if i'm not mistaken...
They are gone, but they also made Mass Destruction, an awesome tank shooter.
And hey, if we're including "one game and a sequel" companies like Whoopie Camp, then I would also like to add Amuze. They developed Headhunter and its sequel, Headhunter Redemption. Both great games. They went out of business during development of their third game (not Headhunter-related). Sega was supposed to buy them out at one point, but apparently that fell through with the Sammy merger; that might have contributed to their folding.
Parodius
06-26-2008, 03:19 PM
I'm not such a big fan of Xenon II but it has some classy (http://youtube.com/watch?v=0YDp77erUD8) mixed music (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Q4y1tnp8gUk)
I went out and purchased Megablast by Bomb the Bass on vinyl after purchasing Xenon 2 on the Amiga in 1990, or whenever it was. I still have it in a box out in the garage somewhere :)
Ah, memories!!
Cryomancer
06-26-2008, 04:54 PM
Err....Tamsoft is alive and well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamsoft
http://www.tamsoft.co.jp/
Alive, well, and makers of a series of games popular enough to get 4 main titles, 2 upgrade titles, DLC on 360, character entrance in crossover games, a cell phone game, and a live action film.
Yet America has yet to get one! <sarcasm> Thanks a lot Sony/Microsoft approval guys! </sarcasm>
klausien
06-26-2008, 06:15 PM
I believe AMOK's developer only made that one game before folding.
I think they were also responsible for Scorcher. Both were pretty decent games, though certainly not "hits." Good example though. Some may find this interesting. http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/zyrinx/zyrinx.htm
Great topic and a tough question actually. My contributions are Argonaut Software and Exact. Argonaut was responsible for the FX Chip of course, and has made many games over the years, but their only big splash was StarFox. Europeans may disagree, but nothing they have done is anywhere near as important as StarFox. If the west had gotten the 3D Game Boy game "X", things may have been a bit different. Why Nintendo, why did you leave such an excellent game in Japan?
As for Exact, Jumping Flash 1 & 2 and Ghost int he Shell were excellent, and then they just disappeared as far as I know. Of course, I could be totally wrong.
j_factor
06-27-2008, 12:45 AM
I think they were also responsible for Scorcher. Both were pretty decent games, though certainly not "hits." Good example though. Some may find this interesting. http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/zyrinx/zyrinx.htm
Zyrinx actually didn't develop AMOK. They developed Scorcher, as well as Sub-Terranea and Red Zone for Genesis. AMOK was developed by a separate team within Scavenger called Lemon. Scavenger folded completely after their two Saturn games. A real pity, as they had some very talented people there.