TwinBee and Fantasy Zone

[ShinobiMan]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/85/Twinbee_flyer.png http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/09/Fantasy_zone_arcadeflyer.PNG

Ever notice how similar these two franchises are? Both series first appeared in Japanese arcades in 1985, both have cutesy spaceship characters for protagonists, and both are shmups.

It can also be noted that both are GREAT games, even though I prefer Fantasy Zone. Kinda makes me wonder who was spying on who during the development process... Sega or Konami. It's kind of like when movie studios release the same kind of movie the same year. You know, like when Antz (Dreamworks) and Bug's Life (Disney) came out, or Dante's Peak (Universal) and Volcano (20th Century Fox).

Anyone have anything to add? Was this a case of two developers with the same idea... or was foul play involved?

[Aussie2B]

Probably just a coincidence that they both went with a cutesy theme. I'd say that's about the only thing they have in common, though, seeing as TwinBee takes after Xevious while Fantasy Zone takes after Defender. Very different styles of play. They're not the only cutesy shooters out there either, but I wouldn't be surprised if the success of TwinBee and Fantasy Zone inspired other developers to create cutesy shooters in later years.

Although TwinBee wasn't that cutesy with the first arcade title. Fantasy Zone definitely nailed that look, but TwinBee was more "wacky" than cutesy. It wasn't until Detana!! TwinBee that they really started pushing the cute angle.

[Snapple]

I like Twinbee. Juggling the bells adds an extra thing to pay attention to, in order to get the power ups you want. You can't just shoot everything. Plus the graphics are so playful and fun.

[Emperor Megas]

I don't think that the two are that similar either; and of the two, I prefer TwinBee. The bell juggling is really clever, and adds a lot of dimension and difficulty to the game.

Fantasy Zone II is one of my all time favorite games, but the first wasn't really that special, IMO. It was a nice game, but it was a little too easy for my taste, and it repeated after the final stage. I really hate that; when games don't have an actual ending, but instead repeat. I don't mind it with older games like Donkey Kong, or puzzle style games, but I like the feeling of accomplishment that comes when you reach the end, rather than looping infinitely.


It's kind of like when movie studios release the same kind of movie the same year. You know, like when Antz (Dreamworks) and Bug's Life (Disney) came out, or Dante's Peak (Universal) and Volcano (20th Century Fox).And Deep Impact and Armageddon, or Tomb Stone and Wyatt Earp.

[ccovell]

By all accounts beyond Wikipedia, Fantasy Zone was released in 1986.

[ShinobiMan]

By all accounts beyond Wikipedia, Fantasy Zone was released in 1986.

Not according to KLOV, and they are a pretty reputable Arcade gaming site. They say 1985.

http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7755