R-Type Dimensions

**bVork** · 04 Aug 2008, 07:25 AM

I love games classification websites. Look what just turned up on the Australian classification site...

Originally Posted by Game-banning assholes

R-TYPE DIMENSIONS Game (XBOX 360)
Classification G (General)
Consumer Advice
Category Computer Games
Version ORIGINAL
Duration variable
Date of Classification 1 August 2008
Author TOZAI INC
Publisher MICROSOFT
Production Company MICROSOFT
Country of Origin USA
Applicant MICROSOFT PTY LTD

The big question, of course, is who in the world Tozai is... Joystiq says they claim to be the "original developers" of Lode Runner. Unless Douglas E. Smith is somehow involved, this is completely untrue. Anyone know what he has been up to for the past ten years? At any rate, though, they seem to own the Lode Runner trademark.

Further searching reveals that Tozai is credited as the publisher for Spelunker on Wii VC. That neatly ties together both Irem and Broderbund. That still doesn't reveal who Tozai actually is, though. The only tidbit I could find was this from Mobygames:

Originally Posted by Mobygames

In 1994, Scott (K. Tsumura) was the founder and president of Tozai, Inc., a consulting firm for developers and publishers

Help me, CRV1 and the rest of the maniacs who run GDRI! Who in the world is this mystery developer/publisher/consultant?

**Bacon McShig** · 04 Aug 2008, 10:17 AM

Hmm.

Are they the same ones working on the XBLA Lode Runner that was unveiled a while back? Looked really impressive and far along at the reveal, but it's been ages since we've heard anything on it.

**Tain** · 05 Aug 2008, 02:08 AM

R-Type: aight.

R-Type by some kind of unknown developer for the sole purpose of XBLA: eh we'll see.

**Rumpy** · 05 Aug 2008, 03:56 AM

Originally Posted by Bacon McShig

Hmm.

Are they the same ones working on the XBLA Lode Runner that was unveiled a while back? Looked really impressive and far along at the reveal, but it's been ages since we've heard anything on it.

Pretty sure they are the same dev.

**Cowutopia** · 05 Aug 2008, 06:52 PM

R-Type was never that great.

**Tain** · 05 Aug 2008, 06:56 PM

you were never that great

**Cowutopia** · 05 Aug 2008, 07:10 PM

Your mother begs to differ.

**bVork** · 05 Aug 2008, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by Rumpy

Pretty sure they are the same dev.

It's a little more complicated than that. Tozai seems to hold the Lode Runner trademark but the XBLA game is being "co-developed" (ie entirely done) by Southend Interactive.