A History of Toaplan

[szycag]

Whoa, old thread

I wish shmups.com did cool historical articles like this, if only we could drag malc away from Dangar long enough to compile this information that's on the net.

[gamingjustin]

This will remain one of my favorite threads for a bunch of reasons-- awesome source of info about a much-loved albeit (relatively) unknown company. There's already a wealth of information here, but does anyone have links/sources for the Yuge and Uemura interview? I like their games a lot and pretty much sucked the Shooting Star (http://homepage1.nifty.com/shootingstar/index.html) fansite dry, so I'm still on a quest for information regarding Toaplan.

[szycag]

Hi again 2 years later

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toaplan

The Wikipedia entry for Toaplan is still sparse as it ever was, and the list of games could use at least a chronological sorting/list of ports. If I just had some way of citing the information incognoscente gave I'd do a massive edit myself. I wouldn't want to get caught by the Wiki police.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_(company)

I suppose doing the same thing at this list citing system16 would be a start. Notice the kinda badly written main description.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%B1% ... 9%E3%83%B3

The Japanese Wiki's entry on Toaplan has a nice list. If someone was willing to help translate the list I could try to write that up.

Maybe we could get some kind of shmups on wikipedia initiative going, with the members among us that would take time to cite sources and write psuedo-professionally about the companies. Or maybe not. I was just a bit inspired that one of the Wikipedia entries that got featured last week was Alleyway for the Game Boy. It would be cool to get that kind of attention directed towards Toaplan or Cave. I sympathize with incognoscente's comments about Wiki, but that seems to be the first place people go for general info nowadays, after all that would be the first result for Toaplan on Google (or pretty much anything you type in)

EDIT: Trying to get that second URL in a tag was making my entire post disappear @_@

Also, just saw this....

http://insomnia.ac/commentary/a_history_of_toaplan/

[incognoscente]

The post on Insomnia.ac was made with permission. Alex asked me, so I sent him a slightly updated version. I have been asked by another famous face but am not at liberty to reveal who at this time.


The Wikipedia page is sad. Maybe someday I will make time to re-check my sources and cite them, remove the parts that I can't properly cite, and have a fun Wikipedia update spree.


Here's the list from the Japanese Wikipedia entry if you want it:
1984 - Jong Ou
1985 - Performan
1985 - Tiger Heli
1985 - Jong Kyou
1986 - Guardian / Get Star
1986 - Alcon / Slap Fight
1986 - Mahjong Sisters
1987 - Flying Shark / Hishouzame
1987 - Pyros / Wardner no Mori
1987 - Twin Cobra / Kyukyoku Tiger
1988 - Rally Bike / Dash Yarou
1988 - Truxton / Tatsujin
1989 - Hellfire
1989 - Twin Hawk / Daisenpu
1989 - Zero Wing
1989 - Demon's World / Horror Story
1989 - Fire Shark / Same!Same!Same!
1990 - Out Zone
1990 - Snow Bros.
1991 - Vimana
1991 - Teki Paki
1991 - Ghox
1992 - Pipi & Bibi's / Whoopee!!
1992 - Dogyuun!!
1992 - Truxton II / Tatsujin Ou
1992 - FixEight
1993 - Grind Stormer / V-V
1993 - Enma Daio
1993 - Knuckle Bash
1993 - Batsugun
1994 - Otenki Paradise (Snow Bros. 2)

[szycag]

I organized the info you gave me into a table and added publisher info. I suppose that is a start.

Who is Hanafram?

I tried to add your commentary from insomnia.ac to the external links but the domain is blacklisted. Icy must have been spamming it a bit much.

[sven666]

still impressed by your initial post incognoscente, ive read it a dozen times (atleast!) since you originally posted it and it still captures me.. fantastic memory there!

[szycag]

I'm curious how you came across a lot of that information in the first place. I'm guessing Arcadia magazine or another publication like that?

Also, thank you for your help, you are awesome.

[undamned]

Yes, Incog., you are quite a gaming mahatma I totally missed this somehow, from way back when. Today, it is neat.
-ud

[mesh control]

Necro bump.

I'm giving a informative speech in a couple weeks and decided to do it on Toaplans history, demise and their remnants.

I have one question right now: Did Yuge & Uemura program Slap Fight together or did Uemura do it on his own? Same question, except did the compose the music together or did one of them do it?

I have a lot of roms to burn through this week.

[Despatche]

Uemura programmed, Yuge composed.

[mesh control]

Thanks for that info.

[Alcon]

From the Wiki entry if you click the Toaplan.com link (comprehensive unofficial fan site) it will open it via an archive site.

May be of interest.

[scrilla4rella]

there's also this. http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/toaplan/toaplan.htm

[Obiwanshinobi]

Again, that HG101 article claims some former Toaplan employees had something to do with the origins of Raizing. Anything to back it up?

[CIT]

As far as I know the only connection between Raizing and Toaplan is that the former licenced old Toaplan chips to construct their PCBs and that Junya Inoue was originally going to to transfer to Raizing after Gazelle went bust.

Most of Raizing's staff came from Compile, such as Toyama Yuichi and Yokoo Kenichi, who worked on Spriggan for example (easy to see the parallel with Mahou Daisakusen).