The Battle of Olympus - Your Thoughts Today?

[ColecoFan1981]

Do you folks believe that The Battle of Olympus could use a modern-day remake? I see many people criticize it as a Zelda/Metroid/Castlevania knockoff.

The original Japanese FamiCom cartridge release, from March 1988, was published by Imagineer with development work by Infinity. The Japanese title, Olympus no Tatakai: Ai no Densetsu, translates as "The Olympus Fight: The Legend of Love."

For the North American (here) NES release in December 1989, the title was published by Brøderbund Software. The European PAL release, from 1991, was published by Nintendo itself. Strangely, however, the PAL version's title screen lists the game as "Licensed by Nintendo" when it should be "Licensed to Nintendo" (or, perhaps even, "Licensed exclusively to Nintendo"). Anyway, I'm wondering if Nintendo grabbed the European rights to this title on the assumption of its being compared to its own holding that is The Legend of Zelda (in particular: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link)?

Our version erroneously lists the trademark owner as Brøderbund rather than Imagineer. The PAL version does list Imagineer as the trademark owner. I'm wondering if UbiSoft (which owns most of the classic Brøderbund properties) controls the North American rights to this title today (just as Imagineer would outside North America)?

~Ben

[ccovell]

Do you folks believe that The Battle of Olympus could use a modern-day remake? I see many people criticize it as a Zelda/Metroid/Castlevania knockoff.

The original Japanese FamiCom cartridge release, from March 1988, was published by Imagineer with development work by Infinity. The Japanese title, Olympus no Tatakai: Ai no Densetsu, translates as "The Olympus Fight: The Legend of Love."

For the North American (here) NES release in December 1989, the title was published by Brøderbund Software. The European PAL release, from 1991, was published by Nintendo itself. Strangely, however, the PAL version's title screen lists the game as "Licensed by Nintendo" when it should be "Licensed to Nintendo"

Every licensed NES game out there says "Licensed by Nintendo" on its title screen. The "license" is not for the game design, characters or properties, but rather the "license" (right) to publish on Nintendo's proprietary system. Licensees are paying Nintendo for the rights, not the other way around. Thus few games will ever say "licensed TO Nintendo". Go and find me one.

Anyway, since Infinity did programming work on Olympus, and on Actraiser for the SFC, I saw Olympus as a prototype for the better game that came later.

[Aussie2B]

I suppose a remake probably wouldn't hurt, but Battle of Olympus is still a very playable and enjoyable game as-is if you ask me. I played through it for the first time only a few years ago.

[o.pwuaioc]

I love Battle of Olympus. It should have received a nice remake on the DS, but I don't think I'd be interested in anything done to it today, lest it be like Kid Icarus on the 3DS. Still, it's still an awesome little gem that is too underrecognized.

[kupomogli]

It's a decent game, but extremely overrated. I've seen people bash on Zelda 2 only to later praise The Battle of Olympus. Zelda 2 is amazing while The Battle of Olympus rips Zelda 2 off and makes a so so game out of it.

[Aussie2B]

"Extremely overrated"? Do you just pick phrases out of a hat and throw them around at random? How can Battle of Olympus remotely qualify as "overrated" when it's barely talked about and most people don't even know of it?

And who gives a flying flip if a small number of people prefer Battle of Olympus over Zelda 2? Personally, I think the whole "Zelda 2 rip-off" thing is overblown. I've played through both games for the first time in recent years, and there are quite a few ways in which they differ. Seems to me people like to throw around "Zelda 2 rip-off" for just about any side-scrolling adventure game (involving swords and magic) of that era. Zelda 2 didn't invent nor owns the sub-genre.

[Daria]

"Extremely overrated"? Do you just pick phrases out of a hat and throw them around at random? How can Battle of Olympus remotely qualify as "overrated" when it's barely talked about and most people don't even know of it?

And who gives a flying flip if a small number of people prefer Battle of Olympus over Zelda 2? Personally, I think the whole "Zelda 2 rip-off" thing is overblown. I've played through both games for the first time in recent years, and there are quite a few ways in which they differ. Seems to me people like to throw around "Zelda 2 rip-off" for just about any side-scrolling adventure game (involving swords and magic) of that era. Zelda 2 didn't invent nor owns the sub-genre.

Geez, you mean Faxanadu and Ys3 aren't rip offs? :P

[kupomogli]

"Extremely overrated"? Do you just pick phrases out of a hat and throw them around at random? How can Battle of Olympus remotely qualify as "overrated" when it's barely talked about and most people don't even know of it?

I don't think you know what the term, "overrated" or "underrated" actually means. I actually posted this in the what is your most overrated and underrated game this of this gen topic. "While great games, I wouldn't consider games like Vanquish or Valkyria Chronicles underrated because just about everyone who has played them love the games. They're just not well known." A game that's not well known can be underrated or overrated just like any well known game can.

Besides. Anyone who's still into NES games at this point in its life know about The Battle of Olympus, and those are the people I'm referencing. It's obvious that someone who's never touched an NES isn't going to have played it. Also. It's barely talked about? It's constantly brought up in this forum and others like it, and rarely are there people who haven't played it or heard of it. Like Valkyrie Profile. It's been played by the people who are actually interested, namely, RPG fans who still play older consoles. It's another extremely overrated game.


And who gives a flying flip if a small number of people prefer Battle of Olympus over Zelda 2? Personally, I think the whole "Zelda 2 rip-off" thing is overblown. I've played through both games for the first time in recent years, and there are quite a few ways in which they differ. Seems to me people like to throw around "Zelda 2 rip-off" for just about any side-scrolling adventure game (involving swords and magic) of that era. Zelda 2 didn't invent nor owns the sub-genre.

This game is a ripoff. There are a few differences in how the game mechanics work, and the gameplay itself is exactly the same, right down to Orpheus' jumping and attack physics compared to Link(practically identical.) The release date is one year later in both Japan and the US, which I'd assume is them trying to capitalize by making a game that plays just like Zelda 2, since back Zelda 2 was actually popular.

I very rarely throw out the term ripoff or clone when describing a video game, though. If you'd like to pull up other games I referenced, you'll find I also mentioned Playstation All Stars, Frontier Aja, and Undead Knights as ripoffs or clones. Pull gameplay up on Youtube and check it out. Playstation All Stars not so much, but the other two are undeniable ripoffs of certain properties.

Btw. You don't remember your reply to me five months ago? Yeah. The Battle of Olympus is so rarely brought up and it's nothing like Zelda 2, that it was only five months ago that it was brought up in a Zelda 2 thread.


Geez, you mean Faxanadu and Ys3 aren't rip offs? :P

The games are side scrolling action games but the characters don't control identical to Link like Orpheus did, nor were the games designed to look a lot like Zelda 2 did.

*edit*

Besides, isn't the op asking everyones opinion on the game. This is actually the second thread in a row where my opinion on a game was attacked because I happened not to like a game. It's actually why I've received such a bad rap by certain people here because I'd reply to the thread with my opinion, my opinion would be attacked because I didn't happen to praise a ridiculously overrated game, and then I'd usually reply about it afterwards in a sort of rude tone(my opinion being attacked, maybe you can guess why.)

Some of you guys state I'm trying to shove my opinion down your throats. I only stated my opinion originally. Who attacked who first?

There are other ways of finding out why someone doesn't like a game rather than attacking their opinion in a douchebag sortof way to get a reply.

[Daria]

Kupo: oh calm down. I was clearly joking. Besides I couldn't care less how you feel about Battle of Olympus, I've never actually played it.

[BricatSegaFan]

I remember liking the game. I haven't played it in forever though :(

[Aussie2B]

Hahaha, never change, Kupo, never change.

You're not "attacked" for your opinions. Your post barely contained your opinions on the game, but rather a bunch of whining about what you believe other people think of the game, which was presented in an aggressive way suggesting that everything you're stating is a fact and all these people who disagree with you are wrong. Which is par for the course for your posts and why people call you out on it so much. People pretty much make a game of bringing up games like Disgaea and seeing how you react. Battle of Olympus is not remotely as played, mentioned, and praised as your delusional mind makes it out to be, but keep it up and maybe people will add it to the list of games to make you flip out in hilarious ways, haha.

But my favorite part of your post is that you honestly think I'd remember replying to you 5 months ago in some topic that brought up Battle of Olympus, hahaha. I don't even remember the topic, let alone that it was specifically 5 months ago and that I replied to you. That's pretty ridiculous levels of OCD or whatever to remember every last detail of some random bit of board interaction. Sorry, I have a real life and don't approach message boards with grave seriousness and importance such as to commit it all to memory. I guess it must've been very hurtful to you that people have the audacity to like Battle of Olympus, haha. I also love that you bring up 5 months as if it's proof of how often it's brought up and praised. So that's about twice a year? That's what you call "overrated"? Hahaha, man, this stuff is golden. Oh, and of course there's the completely random mention of Valkyrie Profile as being overrated in a pathetically feeble attempt at getting under my skin. You really gotta try better than that.

[sloan]

Geez, you mean Faxanadu and Ys3 aren't rip offs? :P

Educate me: Which game is Faxanadu ripping off? I bought it at release, and don't recall playing another prior that was even remotely like it.

[Daria]

Educate me: Which game is Faxanadu ripping off? I bought it at release, and don't recall playing another prior that was even remotely like it.

Umm... Nothing? I was just kidding around with Aussie.

[ColecoFan1981]

Every licensed NES game out there says "Licensed by Nintendo" on its title screen. The "license" is not for the game design, characters or properties, but rather the "license" (right) to publish on Nintendo's proprietary system. Licensees are paying Nintendo for the rights, not the other way around. Thus few games will ever say "licensed TO Nintendo". Go and find me one.

Anyway, since Infinity did programming work on Olympus, and on Actraiser for the SFC, I saw Olympus as a prototype for the better game that came later.
There are several Nintendo-published games here, developed by other companies that said "Licensed to Nintendo (of America, Inc.)" or "Licensed exclusively to Nintendo (of America, Inc.)" Those titles included:
* Slalom (1987, game design by Rare, Ltd.)
* R.C. Pro-Am (1988, game design by Rare, Ltd.)
* Anticipation (1988, game design by Rare, Ltd.)
* Dragon Warrior (1989, game design by Enix)
* Faxanadu (1989, game design by Hudson Soft)
* Cobra Triangle (1989, game design by Rare, Ltd.)
* Snake, Rattle and Roll (1990, game design by Rare, Ltd.)
* Final Fantasy (1990, game design by Square Soft)

~Ben

[PresidentLeever]

It's alright, but didn't keep me interested enough to see it through to the end while Faxanadu and Zelda 2 did. The controls and repetition had a lot to do with it.

[Rob2600]

Battle of Olympus - solid, albeit derivative, game.

[InsaneDavid]

Educate me: Which game is Faxanadu ripping off? I bought it at release, and don't recall playing another prior that was even remotely like it.

Xanadu, it's ripping off Xanadu. It's like all they did was copy the title of Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu onto the Famicom and add two letters to the front of the title.

[Daria]

Xanadu, it's ripping off Xanadu. It's like all they did was copy the title of Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu onto the Famicom and add two letters to the front of the title.

Okay. I have to admit. That made me laugh. :P

Anyway after watching some gameplay videos of Battle of Olympus, it really does look like a sprite hack of Zelda 2. Was it developed by the same team? I mean I realize that sounds like a silly question as obviously Zelda is a first party title, but I mean its common for first party projects to be licensed out to other developers. There has to be a story behind this.

[Gameguy]

Xanadu, it's ripping off Xanadu. It's like all they did was copy the title of Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu onto the Famicom and add two letters to the front of the title.
You know Faxanadu was a legit spin-off from the Dragon Slayer series, right? It was related to the second game Xanadu, it's Famicom Xanadu. Faxanadu.

[Daria]

You know Faxanadu was a legit spin-off from the Dragon Slayer series, right? .

You know he was joking, right?

[Gameguy]

You know he was joking, right?
Not really. There were no smilies to indicate this. NO SMILIES!

:villagepeople:

Smilies make everything clear. Smilies.

[xelement5x]

Not really. There were no smilies to indicate this. NO SMILIES!

:villagepeople:

Smilies make everything clear. Smilies.

Lol, I don't blame you. I was going to reply with the same explanation you had since he sounded dead serious.

[InsaneDavid]

Man, some of you guys need to lighten up.

[o.pwuaioc]

For what it's worth, Battle of Olympus at least looks and sounds better than Adventure of Link, and in my opinion is a bit more consistent, too. I didn't really care for the overhead part of Zelda 2 with the "mini battles". It might be derivative, but that doesn't make it a bad game.

[Bubble_Man]

I'd be interested if it remained in 2D -- maybe a downloadable title for psn/xbla or dsi ware. I wouldn't be interested in a 3D one, though. The example that comes to mind is Rygar. I absolutely loved the game for nes, but didn't much care for the PS2 game. It wasn't bad, but just seemed like another action game; I didn't get the Rygar "feel" from it.

[cd\tony2]

cool I was a Faxanadu fan too!
anyone remember seeing the Battle of Olympus commerical and adding it to your Christmas list immediately?
Actually i may have gotten it for my birthday. I still have it
I
It's alright, but didn't keep me interested enough to see it through to the end while Faxanadu and Zelda 2 did. The controls and repetition had a lot to do with it.

[rbudrick]

Adding my 2c on the Faxanadu issue above. Xanadu and Faxanadu are very different games. With the Japanese tendency to take the first syllable of something to abbreviate it, the Fa in Faxanadu stands for Famicom. So, Faxanadu is Famicom Xanadu. It's really more of a gaiden, or side-story to the Xanadu series. Then again, not all the Dragon Slayer games were strictly related.

Ys and Dragon Slayer (Faxanadu) were all Falcom games.

-Rob