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/vr/ - Retro Games

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File: 341 KB, 400x400, Tomba!_NTSC[1].png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1992698 No.1992698 [Reply] [Original]

Can we discuss Tomba? Why did it fail? I remember seeing at least the second game advertised to death! I even have a demo they were giving out at a Playstation event before it was released.

Also, why was his name changed to Tombi in PAL regions? Is it because they'd pronounce Tomba as Tomber? Is any of that offensive over there?

>> No.1992731 [SPOILER] 
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1992731

>Klonoa: Door to Phantomile - NA release March 10, 1998
>Banjo-Kazooie - NA release June 29 1998
>Tomba - NA release June 30, 1998
>Spyro the Dragon - NA release September 10, 1998
>MediEvil - NA release October 1, 1998
>Crash Bandicoot: Warped NA release October 31, 1998
The platformer market was saturated, plus consider what else came out that same year and the year prior. The PS1 was hitting its stride with titles like Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo, Resident Evil 2, Tekken 3, and Squaresoft's '98 line-up. FFVII also acted as a gateway game to many and created a massive shift in interest towards JRPGs.

The N64 saw the release of Goldeneye in '97 and multiplayer first person shooters on consoles became another big thing. Top this off with more mature oriented games, and gamers, finding a home on the Playstation and it's easy to see why many passed on these platformers the first time around.

Tomba and Klonoa were fresh IPs sporting cutesy aesthetics, and 2D sprite-based games in an industry that was heavily adopting 3D and an older audience. They performed well enough to receive sequels so at least they weren't total failures.

>> No.1992746

>>1992698
>why was his name changed to Tombi in PAL regions? Is it because they'd pronounce Tomba as Tomber? Is any of that offensive over there?


No, in many romance languages tomba means grave, and you don't want kids to read grave when playing a colorful platform anon.

I'm italian and i had the ntsc version, and i still remember thinking "what the fuck ? grave ? is the cover misleading me or is it just a wacky japanese name ?"

>> No.1992763

>>1992746
Well shit, I always thought it's because of Alberto Tomba and then maybe some copyright issues or just not wanting to associate the game with his name. The moar I know.

>> No.1992774

>>1992763
More ponderous is why they decided to switch the intro theme, with a song by a shitty boyband from a kid's TV show in England.

>> No.1992779

>>1992774
... maybe so it appeals to kids? It's a game for kids after all.

>> No.1992786

I liked the second one more than the first. That circus town always gave me the creeps

>> No.1993170

>>1992786
I actually did too. The second game seemed bigger and there was so much more to do. I still the the graphics even hold up better even if the voice acting was terrible.

>> No.1993173

>>1992731
It's a shame. The PS1 had some great platformers.

>> No.1993820

>>1993173
name one

>> No.1994272

>>1993820
Not even gonna take the bait, meng.

>> No.1994273

I thought these games looked god awful when I was a kid growing up with a ps1.

That now famous SGDQ run of Tomba 2 only cemented my childhood suspicions.

>> No.1994694
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1994694

>>1994273
>not being a kid and thinking every 3D game looked like real life