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Well, get on it! I wanna see a NeoZeedeater-like thread detailing the history of Rent a Hero. Or, at least SOMETHING about the previous games.Quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy
Plus, this delay gives me more time to drum up info on the RaH series.
I know you've got it in you kid, now go out there and make us proud! :)
I'm working on it, but screens aren't exactly plentiful for the games. On the upside, when it is done, there will be plenty of info on the RaH UFO Catcher game. Another key hardship- finding out ANY info on the PC Rent-a-Hero game. Any and all info on it is in German.
Is this game out yet? I'm dying to play it...
No, it was going to be out in May, then got pushed back to July, now it's scheduled for an August release. AIA, sadly, can't really afford many delays. How they've been able to withstand the two they've had so far is beyond me. They're still plugging away at the game in some form though. Gotta give them credit, they're dedicated to getting this game out to folks.
I'm starting work on my RaH timeline, which should be finished by tomorrow morning since I'm scrapping putting the German RaH game into it, which I've found out isn't a part of the Rent-a-Hero games, or the character, and is just a Rent-a-Hero game in name only. Right now, I've got a nice selection of pics from the Mega Drive, DC, Xbox, and UFO Catcher games. Currently searching for pics of the character in Fighter's Megamix and as a capsule toy in the Shenmue games.
Edit- found a nice assortment of screens of RaH from Megamix, now searching for screens of him as a capsule toy in the Shenmue games.
WAHOOOOOOO! I finally finished this thing up. At over 2000 words, it's the most thorough Rent-a-Hero document available. I've got all sorts of nice little tidbits in there, including historical signifigance of things, and a nice link listing of Rent-a-Hero information and screens.
Well...
Where is it?
Or do we have to subscribe to the "Jeremy Premium Service" to see it?
I cant wait i ahve the dreamcast version and i play that to death, i study japanese just because i want to know what was going on!!! but the Xbox version looks brilliant and i cant wait!! :minion
:
?!
Well, it's not up on Game2Extreme.com yet due to the screen placement and use not being finalized, but here's a majority of the piece.
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Games Starring Rent-a-Hero
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Title - Rent-a-Hero
Console - Sega Mega Drive
Area of Release - Japan
Release - 09/20/91
Origin - Japan
Developer/Publisher - Sega/Sega
Genre - 2D overhead action RPG
The first Rent-a-Hero game started the franchise off with a bang as Sega added a nice innovation to the action RPG genre by having battles contested in a manner that is nearly identical to 2D fighting games, with you facing your opponent in hand-to-hand combat. This feature was never done before this game, and to my knowledge, has never been done since. The storyline, much like the battle system, was quite unique. After all, how many games feature a main character (Taro Yamada) hose sole purpose is to gather money to pay for his superhero suit by doing odd jobs for local townspeople? Here’s an interesting historical note to this game, the much-beloved Yu Suzuki was a producer on this game, and its’ subsequent remakes (of sorts) on the Dreamcast and Xbox. Speaking of the DC game…
Title - Rent-a-Hero No. 1
Consoles - Sega Dreamcast, Microsoft Xbox
Areas of Release - Japan, United States
Release - 05/25/00 (DC, Japan), 08/08/03 (Xbox, U.S.), 08/07/03 (Xbox, Japan)
Origin - Japan
Developer/Publisher - DC Japan- Sega/Sega, Xbox U.S.- CoolNet/Amusement Interface Associate (AIA)
Games USA Ltd., Xbox Japan- CoolNet/CoolNet
Genre - 3D Action/Adventure RPG
Rent-a-Hero No. 1 was, and still is, a historic game in the Rent-a-Hero timeline. It was the first RaH game to really get any notice in the U.S. by mainstream publications. Previews of the game were in nearly every magazine out there, with the much-beloved Gamefan magazine doing a fantastic job with their preview. The core RPG-style gameplay in RaH No. 1 was, by all accounts, much like that of the original, only in 3D. For a more contemporary comparison, the gameplay is a lot like the gameplay in the original Shenmue, only with a lot more jokes thrown in for good measure.
The fighting engine for RaH No. 1 is taken from Sega’s Spikeout fighting series, interestingly enough, the U.S. version of RaH No. 1 will also be the first time the Spikeout engine has been used in a U.S.-released console game. RaH No. 1 will be the first ever Rent-a-Hero game to see a U.S. release when it is finally released for the Xbox. This game acts like a remake, of sorts, of the original Mega Drive game, with some events happening in both games. RaH No. 1 marked the debut of Rent-a-Hiroko, a female counterpart of sorts for Rent-a-Hero. RaH No. 1 also marked the debut of the Seca Creamcast, the in-game tool used to receive your missions and save your game, as well as receive game instructions via in-game e-mail. The Xbox version of the game is, essentially, a remake of a remake, and will also be the first-ever Rent-a-Hero game to receive an official English translation (the MD original was partially translated by a Genesis emulation group called Eidolon, but this translation was unauthorized.) AIA Games is currently hard at work translating the game for its’ August release, let’s all hope the wait will be worth it. With plenty of additions being made to the game from the DC original, such as improved graphics, reduced loading times, a new battle mode, a gallery mode, and a sound test mode. These additions, particularly the sound and battle modes, should prove to really showcase the greatness of Rent-a-Hero No. 1. Now that this section has been completed, let’s move onto…
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Games Featuring Rent-a-Hero
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Title - Fighters Megamix
Console - Sega Saturn
Areas of Release - Japan, United States
Release - 12/21/96 (Japan), 05/97 (North America)
Origin - Japan
Developer/Publisher - Sega/Sega (for both the JPN and US. versions)
Genre - Fighting
Taro Yamada (and the Rent-a-Hero suit and character) made their U.S. debuts in Fighters Megamix. RaH is featured as a hidden character in the game, and is a palette-swap of the hidden Pepsiman character from the Japanese version of Fighting Vipers on the Saturn. Rent-a-Hero is one of the game’s strongest fighters… until has batteries run out, which happens when fights last too long for his batteries to last. During a fight with RaH, you’ll see a series of batteries near his name, when those are gone, so are Taro’s superhero suit, super-powers, and quite a few moves. Taro also sustains more damage from blows than Rent-a-Hero does, due to the lack of the superhero suit. Needless to say, RaH is a character best used by those who love fast and furious fights, projectile fans might also like using him, since he‘s one of the few characters who is able to do projectile-based attacks. Keep in mind that those attacks are done thanks to the superhero suit, which makes it all the more important to vanquish your foes quickly when playing as RaH. Rent-a-Hero can also lose his superhero suit during the course of combat by taking too much danage to it, and losing whatever parts of it sustain too much damage. Since it acts like a regular piece of armor in the game, it’s a lot like the armor that adorns all of the Fighting Vipers characters, only with an added method of removal. Also, Rent-a-Hero appears a bit off-model in the game, as his in-game model has reddish-brown hair, instead of blonde, and there is now green trim on his boots and chest plate, instead of red trim. Also of note, Rent-a-Hero does not appear in the Game.com version of Fighters Megamix, had he, that version of the game would mark the character’s only appearance in a portable game.
Title - Shenmue, Shenmue II
Consoles - Dreamcast, Microsoft Xbox
Areas of Release - Dreamcast (United States, Japan and Europe for Shenmue, Japan and Europe for Shenmue II), Xbox (Shenmue II, United States, Europe)
Origin - Japan
Release Dates - Shenmue (Japan- 12/19/99, U.S.- 11/08/00, EU -12/01/00), Shenmue II (Dreamcast- Japan- 08/06/01, EU- 11/23/01, Xbox- U.S.- 10/30/02, EU- 03/21/03)
Both of the Shenmue games have featured Rent-a-Hero in them as capsule toys. While this might not be too shocking, since nearly every Sega game is given at least some kind of reference in the Shenmue games, it never hurts to see Rent-a-Hero in a U.S. game. The character’s appearance in the U.S. version of Shenmue marks the second appearance for RaH in a U.S. game, while the Shenmue II appearance marks the third in a U.S. game, and the first appearance of RaH on the Xbox. The RaH appearance in the JPN version of Shenmue marks the character’s first appearance on the DC, with the Shenmue II appearance marking his third appearance on the DC. The second appearance would go to Rent-a-Hero No. 1, of course. European gamers got their first glimpse of RaH in the original Shenmue on the DC, with their second view of him being given in Shenmue II on the DC, and the third coming from the Xbox version of Shenmue II. To get Rent-a-Hero in the original Shenmue, win the lottery in the Abe convenience store, and if you get a fourth place prize ticket, select the Rent-a-Hero figure. Rent-a-Hero moved on up in Shenmue II, as he is now featured on the front on some of the toy capsule machines. The luck of the draw determines whether you get him or not, but if you do, savor the moment, and if you do it on the Xbox, take a few pictures of it.
Title - UFO Catcher
Console - PC
Area of Release - Internet
Release - 06/00
Origin - Japan
Developer/Publisher - Sega of Japan/Sega of Japan
Genre - UFO Catching/claw machine
Ah, the UFO Catcher, the little-known Sega of Japan release that was created to mark the release of Rent-a-Hero No. 1 in Japan on the Dreamcast. This fun, quirky mini-game puts some of the main characters in Rent-a-Hero No. 1 cast in a claw machine-esque game with two modes of play: practice and challenge. The practice mode lets you use a radar to guide your claw, while the challenge mode takes this ability away. Either way, winning is nearly impossible, yet fun no matter what. You can try the UFO Catcher out for yourself by going to http://www.sega.co.jp/rentahero/sw/ufo.html Well, that concludes this section of the feature, keep in mind that I’m only covering officially licensed games with Rent-a-Hero in them, I’m not counting unauthorized games with him in it. I know of at least one such game in existence, and I wouldn‘t be shocked if there were more out there. Now let’s move onto…
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Miscellaneous Rent-a-Hero Information and Links
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Sega of Japan released 10 Rent-a-Hero No. 1 wallpapers to commemorate the release of Rent-a-Hero No. 1 in Japan, to view or download these wallpapers, check out - http://www.sega.co.jp/rentahero/dl.html
My personal favorite is the first wallpaper, which is pretty colorful, and features both Rent-a-Hero and Rent-a-Hiroko striking a pose.
Also, Sega of Japan allowed a song from Rent-a-Hero No. 1, “Hero For Rent” to be made available for download in the JPN release of Samba de Amigo.
Here are some basic links for information on some of the things mentioned during this feature.
Thanks to the Rent-a-Hero Shine at http://www.bubblebobble.org/tatsusoft/rentahero/ for information about the Mega Drive version being partially translated and for the Shenmue screen.
Thanks to this IGN article http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/08...html?fromint=1 for making me aware of the UFO Catcher, and for providing a link to it so I could play it.