10 famous video games that started out as something else entirely

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  • 8/11/2019 10 Famous Video Games That Started Out as Something Else Entirely

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    10 Famous Video Games That Started

    Out As Something Else Entirely

    http://www.gamescdkey.com/news/10-famous-video-games-that-started-

    out-as-something-else-entirely

    Thedevelopmentofvideogamescanbea rathercurious thing.Usually,whenwritinganovel,

    filmingamovie,orscriptingacomicbook,thereisgenerallyanideaofwhattheendgoalisinmind.

    Certainly,changeshappenthroughoutthecreativeprocess,buttoourrecollection,noonehasset

    outtomakeaBatmanmovieandchangedittoZorromidwaythrough.Videogames,ontheother

    hand,areabitofadifferentstory.Bytheirverynature,they lendthemselveswelltoonthefly

    alterationsbothgreatandsmallthatcanleadtodrasticallydifferentresultsinthefinalproduct.

    Sometimesagamewithnoparticulariconographyinmindwillbedeemedagoodfitforaparticular

    popularfranchise,orperhapsthechangesmadeinasequelaresogreatthatitsdeterminedthat

    spinningitoffassomethingelsealtogetheristhewaytogo(and,withanyluck,leadingtotwobig

    hitfranchises).Maybeafamiliarfacewillbeaddedtoanotherworktoboost itsvisibility inthe

    marketplace,or it could be removed as amatter of failednegotiations.Anything canhappenbetweenthetimeworkonagamehasbegunandwhen itgoestomarket,andtheresultsmay

    astoundyou.Herearetenofthemostfamousvideogameswhichstartedoutassomethingelse

    entirely.

    10 Super Smash Bros

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    Super Smash Bros. iswell known theworld over as one ofNintendos top titles, series, and

    franchises.Andwhyshouldntitbe?Afterall,whereelseareyougoingtofindsuchawidevariety

    ofstarsfromothertopNintendoseriesthrowdowninaknockdowndragoutfight?Mariovs.Link!

    DonkeyKongvs.Bowser!IceClimbersvs.FoxMcCloud!Pokemonvs.Pokemon!okay,maybenot

    thatlastonesomuch.Butitwasntalwaysthisway.Inthegamesearliestdaysofdevelopment,it

    wentbyanothertitle:KakutoGeemuRyuoh,orDragonKing:TheFightingGame.Ifthatsounds

    likeafunnynameforaNintendoallstarmixup(asthoughSuperSmashBros.isnt),well,youd

    be right. Insteadof featuringeverybigname from throughoutNintendosconsiderablehistory,

    DragonKingfeaturednoneofthem.Satoru Iwata,thethenfuturepresidentofNintendo,and

    MasahiroSakuraioriginallyworkedonit,seekingtocreateanalternativetothetwodimensional

    fightinggameswhichwerecrowdingoutthemarketatthetime.Sohowdidthe inclusionof

    establishedNintendocharacterscomeabout?Believeitornot,withgreatreluctance.According

    toSakuraiinaneditionofIwataAsks:

    IaskedtouseNintendocharacterssince itwassohardtoaccuratelyconveytotheplayersthe

    atmosphereofthegamingworldwheretheyplayafightinggameonhomeconsole.Youhaveto

    havesomemaincharacters ina fightinggame,andwhenyou lineupcharacter1,character2,

    character3andsoon,themaincharactersendupblurringtogether.Withagameforthearcade,

    itsokayforcharacterdevelopmenttotakeabackseatsinceplayersarecontentwiththefighting.

    Withafightinggameforthehomeconsole,however,youhavetosetupthegeneralimageorthe

    atmosphereofthegamingworldrightfromthestartorelsethegamesuffers.ThatswhyIasked

    touseNintendocharacters.

    Nowadays,wetakeitforgranted,butatthetime,peoplehadreservationsaboutmobilizingan

    allstarcastofcharacters,Iwataadded,notingthatevenNintendofanswereatfirstwaryofthe

    prospect.Howthingshavechanged.Wordhas itthatthegamewasoriginallyneverplannedto

    leaveJapan,andnowitisaworldwidehitwhichfeaturesnotonlyagrowingrosterofNintendo

    stars,butthirdpartycharacterssuchasSonictheHedgehog,SolidSnake,MegaMan,andPacMan

    aswell!

    9 Devil May Cry

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    ComparedtotheoverhaulofSuperSmashBros.,DevilMayCrywentrelativelyunchangedfromits

    earlydaystowhenitwasreleased.Infact,thebiggestchangeofallwasarguablytothetitle,as

    wellasitsplaceintheCapcommultiverse.Originally,producerShinjiMikamianddirectorHideki

    Kamiyaactuallybeganworkingon thegameas the fourth installment inCapcomshit survival

    horrorseries,ResidentEvil.Incontrasttotheearliertitlesintheseries,thegoalwastomakewhat

    wasthengoingtobeResidentEvil4,acoolandstylishactiongame.Onthewaytomakingit

    so,theprotagonist,Tony,hadsuperhumanabilitiesgrantedtohimbybiotechnology.Kamiyafelt

    thatthemissionofcool/stylishwasbeingheldbackbyResidentEvilsfixedcameraanglesand

    prerenderedbackgrounds,leadingtoanoverhaulinhowthosewerepresented.Ultimately,the

    stylejustwasntworkingforResidentEvilssurvivalhorrorroots,anyway.Asaresult,Mikami

    convincedthestaffthatthegamewasbetteroffbeingitsownentity,leadingtoelementssuchas

    UmbrellafounderLordOzwellE.Spencerandthebiotechnologybeingremoved.Therechristened

    heroDantewouldgoontofightinaworldfullofdemons,ratherthanbioengineeredzombies,in

    thenewly retitledDevilMayCry,whosepopularitywassuch that itbecame itsown franchise.

    However,thatstill leftCapcomshortoneResidentEvilsequel.Aftermoretriesworkingaround

    conceptsstarringResidentEvil2protagonistLeonS.Kennedy,withashift ingenreechoingthe

    previous attempt tomove away from survivalhorror andmore towards actionwas repeated.

    Mikamioversaw itsdevelopmentaswell,and tooksteps toset itapart fromtheseriesentries

    whichcamebefore,includinganewovertheshoulderviewpointandtheremovalofUmbrellaas

    a central focus. The changes paid off, as Resident Evil 4 sold like hotcakes across numerous

    platforms,whileDevilMayCrygaveCapcomtwohitfranchisesinsteadofone.

    8 Final Fight/Street Fighter II

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    BeforeStreetFighterII,therewasStreetFighter.Thisstandstoreason,butdespitetheimmense

    popularityofthesequel,manyareunfamiliarwiththeoriginalgame.Thoughnotthemostpopular

    gameintheU.S.atthetime,perhapsowinginparttoearlyversionspressuresensitivebuttons

    thatwerepronetobreaking,itdidwellenoughinJapantowarrantasequel.However,themindset

    whichwentintomakingavideogamesequelbackinthelate80swasabitdifferentthanitistoday,

    andthosegameswouldoftenbequitedifferentfromthefirstinstallmenttobearthename.Case

    inpoint:ZeldaII:TheAdventureofLink,CastlevaniaII:SimonsQuest,andTeenageMutantNinja

    TurtlesII:TheArcadeGame,tonamebutafew.StreetFighterwouldbenodifferentatleast,to

    start.AlreadyindevelopmentwhentheoriginalStreetFighterwasreleased,therequestfrom

    Capcomssalesdivisionforanothertitle inthe line ledtotheDoubleDragonIIinspiredbrawler

    YoshikiOkamotoandhisteamwereworkingontobedubbedStreetFighter89 attradeshows,

    butthearcadeoperatorswerewisetoit,callingfoulinthatthegamewasnothinglikeStreetFighter.

    This resulted in the sidescrollingbeat emup tobe redubbedFinalFight,whichwenton to

    achieve itsownsuccess.Whilethatwenton,Okamotosteamwouldgoontocreatethetrue

    sequeltoStreetFighter,thesuccessofwhichnoonecouldhaveimagined.Beforeweevenbegan

    work[onthegame],saidOkamoto,IthoughtStreetFighterIIwouldbeabighit.AtfirstIthought

    itwouldbejustassuccessfulasFinalFight,but Ihadno idea itwouldbethisbig.Theshared

    lineageof the twogameshasbecomeevermoreprevalentover theyears,withStreetFighter

    charactersappearinginthebackgroundofFinalFightsequels,andmoresignificantly,FinalFight

    characters suchasGuy,Cody,Sodom,Hugo,Poison, andmorejoining the ranksof theWorld

    Warriors.

    7 The Final Fantasy Adventure/Secret Of Mana

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    Whatsinaname?AsFinalFightdemonstrated,quiteabit.InthecaseofFinalFantasyAdventure,

    though,whatitusedtobe isquiteabitmoreinterestingthanwhatitbecame.Marketedinthe

    westasaFinalFantasygame,theJapanesetitlewasSeikenDensetsu:FinalFantasyGaiden.What

    makesthisinterestingisthatwhileitwasindeedaFinalFantasyspinoff,itstheotherpartofthe

    titlethatwouldholdgreatersignificancewithtime,asitmarksthefirstgameinwhatwouldcome

    tobeknown inthewestastheManaseries.Thus,whenplayers inthewestgottheirhandson

    SecretofManaontheSuperNES,few(ifany)atthetimelikelyknewthatwhattheywereplaying

    wasactuallyasequeltoaFinalFantasygamewhichhadalreadyarrivedintheyearsprior.Since

    then,thetotalnumberofSeikenDensetsu/Managameshasrisento11,withmostmakingitout

    ofJapan,butonlythemostwellreadfansoftheseriesknowwhereittrulybegan.

    6 Banjo Kazooie

    OriginallyaSuperNESroleplayinggame,thetitlewhichwasatonetimeknownasProjectDream

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    sawmorethanthebitcountchangeasitwasmovedtotheNintendo64.Thegamesprotagonist,

    aboynamedEdisonwhowouldwieldawoodensword,wasgiventhebootforbeingtoogeneric

    infavorofasecondarycharacter:AhoneybearnamedBanjo(thoughnotbeforetryingarabbit

    first).Variousotherroleswouldbeswitchedaroundaswell,withagiantGruntildabecomingthe

    mainantagonistandtheoriginalvillain,EdisonsrivalCaptainBlackeye,beingcastasideuntilthe

    sequel.Meanwhile, the shift to amore SuperMario 64inspired action game saw a rise in

    prominencefortheotherhalfofthegamestitularduo.Originallyababybirdwithasmallrole

    whowasfoundbyEdisonslittlesister,Ella,Kazooiewouldgoontobecomeaconstanttraveling

    companion for Banjo. At first the developers had different appendages appear from Banjos

    backpacktoservedifferentfunctions,suchaswingstoallowfordoublejumpsandapairofskinny

    legs for fastmovement.Before long,theydecided thatthesepartscouldallbelongtoanother

    characterwhorodearoundinthebackpack,andsoKazooiewas(re)born.Wemayneverknowif

    Edisoncouldhaveachievedsuccessbyfightingpirates,butitshardtoarguewithsuccess.Banjo

    andKazooiewentontostar inanNintendo64sequel,aGameBoyAdvancespinoff,andeven

    wentracingwithDiddyKong.EvenafterMicrosoftacquiredRare,demandfortheduosreturnwas

    highintotheXbox360era.Atthatpoint,though,Rareattemptedtoreinventthewheelliterally,

    resulting in BanjoKazooie:Nuts nBolts,which brought about a new look, a vehiclecreation

    mechanic,andamixedreceptionamongfans.

    5 Star Fox Adventures

    The game knownas StarFoxAdventuresoriginallywentbyanothername:DinosaurPlanet,a

    Nintendo64titlewhichhadnotiestoNintendospopularseriesof3Dspaceshooters. Instead,

    playerswouldbeabletoswitchbetweentheswordwieldingSabre(seenabove,withTrickythe

    dinosaur)andabluefemalecatnamedKrystal.AfterseeingthegamerunningontheNintendo64,

    NintendosShigeruMiyamotocommentedonhownice thegame looked,butnotedthatSabre

    boreastrongresemblancetononeotherthanFoxMcCloud,andthathewishedtheywoulduse

    StarFox characters so that theycouldcall itStarFoxAdventures.With thatcommentanda

    remarkaboutmakingacalltotheteam,itsapparenthedidjustthat.Amongthemanytweaks

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    andfixesusedtomakethegamefitintotheStarFoxuniverse,oneofthemostsignificantwould

    bechangingKrystalfromacattoafox,settingherupasapotentialromanticinterestforseries

    leadFoxMcCloud.Thiswould indeedplayout in futuregames,withsomeendings inStarFox

    Commandfeaturingthetwowithafamily.Overall,therewasdisappointmentamongtheRarestaff

    workingonthegame,thoughtheyalsosawthepotentialbroughtonbytheStarFoxlicense.Along

    with a switch to theGameCube around the same time, Star Fox Adventures became quite a

    differentgamefromwhatthedevelopersoriginallysetouttocreate.

    4 Conkers Bad Fur Day

    NoonewhohadseentheearlyimagesofConkersQuest(laterrenamedTwelveTales:Conker64)

    could have imagined that the cutesy squirrel character from the same studio that broughtus

    DonkeyKongCountryandBanjoKazooiewouldturnoutsomethinglikeConkersBadFurDay.But

    itwasfearofcomparisontosuchtitlesasthoseasyetanothercuteplatformerwhichledthe

    developerstoperformaSouthParkinspiredoverhaul.Interestinglyenough,Conkeralreadyhad

    oneprevioustitletohisnameundertheoldaestheticinConkersPocketTalesfortheGameBoy

    Color. Lighthearted and designed to appeal to a general audience, the lackluster reception

    seeminglyvalidatedRaresworriesandjustifiedthedramaticswitchtoagamesoheavilyMrated

    thatNintendoPowerrefusedtocoveritandKBToysrefusedtocarryit,whileadvertisementsraninthelikesofPlayboymagazineinstead.Eveninitshomeland,NintendoofEuropewouldnttouch

    thegame, leaving ittobepublishedtherebyTHQ instead.UnlikePocketTalestepidreception,

    ConkersBadFurDaywasahitwithcritics,andisstillrememberedfondlytothisdayforsomeof

    its crude humor, not the least of which being the musical number byThe Great Mighty

    Poo(warning:NSFW).Planswereunderwayforasequel,butthenRarewasboughtupbyMicrosoft,

    andsotheywentaboutworkingonaremakeofBadFurDay instead.OriginallycalledConker:

    Live&Uncut,whatwasoriginallygoingtobeafullyuncensoredversionofthetitleactuallywound

    upbeingmoresanitizedthanNintendosinsomewaysandatMicrosoftsbehest,noless,asit

    eventuallymadeitswaytomarketasConker:Live&Reloaded.

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    3 Pikmin

    AtSpaceworld2000,NintendorevealedatechdemoforaprojectcalledSuperMario128.The

    demonstrationshowedoffanumberofdifferenttechnologicalexperimentsNintendowasworking

    oninthehopesofincorporatingthemintofuturegames,witheyessetonasequeltoSuperMario

    64.Perhapsthemostprominentfeaturewasthepresenceof128differentMariosrunningaround

    at the same time, attributed to the rapid generation feature of the technology. Following

    Spaceworld2000, peoplewere constantly asking what everhappened to SuperMario128?

    Finally, at the 2007 Game Developers Conference, ShigeruMiyamoto ended his keynote by

    answeringthequestionwithmostofyouhavealreadyplayedit,thescreenbehindhimrevealing

    Pikmin.PikminwasnottheonlybeneficiaryofSuperMario128sexperiments,though.Itssphere

    walking techandotheraspectswereput touse in titlessuchasSuperMarioGalaxy,andare

    rumoredtohavebeenincorporatedintosomeaspectsofMetroidPrimeandTheLegendofZelda:

    TwilightPrincessaswell.

    2 Super Mario Bros 2

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    Oftheitemsonthislist,perhapsnootherismorefamousorinfamousthanSuperMarioBros.

    2.Itstransformationisthestuffoflegend:AsNintendosetaboutrevivingthevideogamemarket

    intheUnitedStates,MarioManiawassweepingthenation.SuperMarioBros.,thetitlepackedin

    withmanyaNintendoEntertainmentSystem,wasamonstroushit.Naturally,Nintendowantedto

    keepthemomentumgoingwithasequel,buttherewasjustoneproblemThegamecalledSuper

    MarioBros.2 inJapancouldalsobedescribedasmonstrous,butnotasahit.Essentiallyasuper

    hardexpansionforthosewhodmasteredtheoriginalgame(laterdubbedForSuperPlayersfor

    goodreason),NintendoofAmericawasworriedthatnotonlywouldthegameappearoutdated

    nexttocontemporaryreleases,butthatitwouldalsojeopardizethefranchisesfuturepopularity

    byprovingtoodifficultandinaccessible.Challengewasagoodthing,yes,butJapansSuperMario

    Bros.2tookittoanextremethattheywereunwillingtosubjectthecompanymascotsreputation

    to,withfeaturesthatsomemightgenerouslycallunfair.Throwinthatthevideogamemarket

    wasstillrecovering fromthecrash,andanalternatesolutionneededtobe found.Nintendoof

    AmericathenlookedtoanotherprojectthatMariocreatorShigeruMiyamotoandhisteamhad

    beenworkingon,onewhichincorporatedMariolikeelementsbuthadalsolateraddedagroupof

    ArabianstyledcharactersfromFujiTelevisionsYumeKj 87eventcalledYumeKj:DokiDoki

    Panic.DirectorKensukeTanabeandhiscrewsettoworkchangingandimprovingthegamefrom

    its Japanexclusive FamicomDisk System release to anNES cartridge release forAmerica. The

    ArabianfamilywasremovedinfavoroftheMarioBros.,Toad,andPrincessPeach(neeToadstool).

    Amongother things,animationsweremade smoother,musicwasadjustedandeven replaced

    accordingly,newenemieswereadded,theabilitytorunwiththeBbuttonwasincorporated,and

    ofcourse, theheroesnowshrunkwhen reducedtooneheart.Thedifficultywasalsotweaked

    slightly,with finalbossWart requiring sixvegetables todefeat insteadof theoriginal four, the

    ability toswitchcharacters frequently included,and requiringonlyoneplaythrough tosee the

    ending.SuperMarioBros.2provedtobeasmashhit,withparentsdrivingfromstatetostatein

    aneffort to trackdownacopyofthe initiallyhardtofindgame. Itwouldalsoprove tobe the

    definitiveversionofthegame,releasedbacktoJapanasSuperMarioUSAandincludedinSuper

    MarioAllStars,theSuperMarioAdvanceline(withfurthertweakstomakeitevenmoreMario

    like),andnumerousreleasesonVirtualConsoleacrossNintendosWii,Nintendo3DS,andWiiU

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    platforms.Meanwhile,numerousenemiesfromthegamehavestuckaround,asdidLuigistaller

    redesignandflutterjumpandPeachsfloatingability,amongotherthings.Thoughitwasoriginally

    releasedasa licensedgame, itseemsthatfromearlyon,thistitlewasalwaysdestinedtobea

    Mariogameintheend.

    1 Donkey Kong/Popeye

    SuperMarioBros.2maybethemostwellknownstoryonthislist,butitmustbecloselyrivaled

    bywhatisundoubtedlythemostinfluential.ItsnosecretthatNintendoofAmericagambledand

    lostonanarcadegamecalledRadarScope,orderingmoreunitsofthegamethan itcouldever

    hopetosell,especiallywhenSpaceInvaderslikegameswerentquiteaspopularoutsideofJapan.

    NintendoofAmericaheadMinoruArakawareportedbacktohisfatherinlaw,NintendoCo.Ltd.

    headHiroshiYamauchiwith thebadnews,andheputheadengineerGunpeiYokoiandyoung

    industrialdesignerShigeruMiyamotoaboutcreatingareplacementthatcouldstillusetheRadar

    Scopecabinets.Theysetaboutcreatingthenewgame,andhopeswerethatNintendocouldsecure

    therightstoPopeyetheSailorManfromKingFeaturesforthetitle.Isketchedoutafewideasfor

    gamesusingPopeye,MiyamotorecalledinanIwataAsksinterview.ButwhileIcantrecallexactly

    whyitwas,wewereunabletousePopeyeinthattitle.Itreallyfeltliketheladderhadbeenpulledoutfromunderus,sotospeak.Atthetimewewereatalossastohowtoproceed.Thenwe

    thought:Whynotcomeupwithourownoriginalcharacter?Whynot,indeed?Sogoingbackto

    thedrawingboard,Miyamotomadeamonkeyorrather,agorillaoutofBluto,whileOliveOyl

    tookonamoreFayWraystyleasthedamselPauline.AndinsteadofPopeyetheSailorasthehero,

    Miyamoto created a short carpenter (whowould later take up plumbing, amongmany other

    occupations)namedMr.Video.At least,before takingon thename Jumpmanandultimately

    Mario.IfhehadbeencalledMr.Video,hemighthavedisappearedoffthefaceoftheearth,

    Miyamotosaid,laughing.Ofcourse,DonkeyKongbecameahit,andbasicallyputNintendoonthe

    mapasamajorplayerinthevideogamebusiness.WithoutKingFeaturespullingtheladderout

    from underneath Nintendo and forcing them to create their own whollyowned franchise

    characters,whocansaywheretheyorvideogamingonthewholewouldbetoday?Butthats

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    nottheendofthestory.Callitluck,callitfate,irony,orhappenstance,buteventuallyNintendo

    didinfactgetthelicensetodoaPopeyevideogame.RatherthanareskinofDonkeyKong,though,

    ShigeruMiyamotoandGenyoTakedasetaboutcreatingawholenewexperiencewhichinvolved

    PopeyecatchingheartswhiledodgingtheadvancingBlutoandtheSeaHag,andithitarcadesin

    1982.Intheend,Nintendogottohavetheirspinachandeatit,too.

    PC Game CD Keys:

    EAGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/publisher/ea.html

    RPGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/rpggame.html

    ACTGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/actgame.html

    FPSGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/fpsgame.html

    AdventureGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/avggame.html

    RacingGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/racgame.html SportGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/sptgame.html

    FTGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/ftggame.html

    RTSGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/rtsgame.html

    SLGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/slggame.html