Famicom World

Family Computer => Famicom / Disk System => Topic started by: Tupin on March 03, 2009, 07:22:15 pm

Title: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Tupin on March 03, 2009, 07:22:15 pm
Okay, I remember seeing about this before, but I only recently realized how little info exists about it. All that exist are the following screenshots, no further info is known other than it was meant to be a music-teaching tool.

(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x28/TUPPYLUVER95/DonkeyKongMusicEducation-title.jpg)
The title screen, seems like any other early Famicom game.

(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x28/TUPPYLUVER95/DKMusic-gameplayshot1.jpg)
A shot of gameplay. Anyone know the song?

(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x28/TUPPYLUVER95/DKMusic-gameplayshot2.jpg)
Same as above....

(http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x28/TUPPYLUVER95/DKmusic-gameplayshot3.jpg)
Maybe a performance?

Don't expect a ROM of it, ever. Rumors exist that it was still in very early alpha at its cancellation. Still very, very interesting.
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: nintendodork on March 03, 2009, 07:35:42 pm
Hmm...the title screen looks pretty similar to the DK JR. Math title screen..I'm not sure if this is real..

Could the NES even have 4 characters plus notes on the screen??
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Tupin on March 03, 2009, 07:39:20 pm
All the educational games on the Famicom (all two of them, plus this non-released one) had similar title screens.

It technically could, as long as the characters had limited animation and the notes remain static.
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: UglyJoe on March 03, 2009, 07:41:42 pm
Also keep in mind that parts of those sprites could be made up of background tiles.  Like, most of Donkey Kong probably never moves, the drumkit probably never moves, and the piano probably never moves.
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: nintendodork on March 03, 2009, 07:44:53 pm
The cymbal and DK's hands might move...and I can only think of DK JR. Math, what other educational game was there?
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Tupin on March 03, 2009, 07:48:39 pm
Popeye's English Game.
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: mobiusclimber on March 04, 2009, 02:54:32 pm
Quote from: Tupin on March 03, 2009, 07:48:39 pm
Popeye's English Game.


... I truly hope that's a joke considering the level of "english" spoken my Popeye. "nah kid it's YAM not I AM! Say it with me!"
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Tupin on March 04, 2009, 03:13:02 pm
Yeah, they definitely did not chose the best character to represent proper English grammar.
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Blue Protoman on March 04, 2009, 05:38:54 pm
It'd be worse if the game was made in the era where voices were easier to do on consoles.
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Tupin on March 04, 2009, 06:06:58 pm
It's already bad enough that they say that Holland is a country, and not a region of the Netherlands. Maybe "Netherlands" was too much text.
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: FamicomFreak on March 05, 2009, 09:06:44 am
Quote from: Tupin on March 04, 2009, 03:13:02 pm
Yeah, they definitely did not chose the best character to represent proper English grammar.


LOL! you got that right
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Blue Protoman on March 05, 2009, 11:27:58 am
Well, it could've been worse.  They could've used the Looney Tunes.
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Rogles on March 05, 2009, 12:20:22 pm
The song in the first screenshot is called "inunoumawarisan". I think they just used katakana for  regular japanese words in that game due to hardware constraints, as that really is not a loanword. Also, there may be some errors in my romanizations.. Someone correct me please if there are. The second one is called "senrohashijikuyotokomademo ". Note I'm just romanizing the song names, not translating them.

EDIT: The game's romanized name is "Angaku Asobi".
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: skyrunner14 on March 05, 2009, 06:44:20 pm
I wonder how this was supposed to be played? Anyway, if someone ever found a prototype of this, they'd probably have the rarest piece of Famicom merchandise ever.  :o
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: JC on March 05, 2009, 06:58:57 pm
You can only imagine the prototypes they've got sitting under lock and key -- or password, I guess -- at Nintendo. This would no doubt be one of them, along with that strange facemaker "game."
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Tupin on March 05, 2009, 07:48:49 pm
Probably is in Miyamoto's office, along with Mario 128.
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: nintendodork on March 05, 2009, 07:58:37 pm
And Mother (U) ::)
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Blue Protoman on March 06, 2009, 12:04:00 pm
You mean Earth Bound.  And EarthBound 64.  :(
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: nintendodork on March 07, 2009, 06:48:13 pm
I just call it Mother (U) since it never got a U.S release.  I don't call it EarthBound or Earthbound Zero, because neither of those names would make sense if it were released in the U.S.
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: FamicomFreak on March 08, 2009, 09:22:10 am
Quote from: Tupin on March 05, 2009, 07:48:49 pm
Probably is in Miyamoto's office, along with Mario 128.


ah yes mario 128. Wasn't there a mario rpg2 left there under his pillow too?
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Blue Protoman on March 08, 2009, 10:08:40 am
You mean Paper Mario.
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: nintendodork on March 08, 2009, 12:01:29 pm
Yes, but it was originally called SMRPG 2, so we recognize it as such.
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Paul-FC on March 08, 2009, 01:55:41 pm
Quote from: Blue Protoman on March 08, 2009, 10:08:40 am
You mean Paper Mario.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNW6X-D8Jw8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNW6X-D8Jw8)
;)
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: JC on May 24, 2009, 08:10:26 pm
http://page2.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/b100550815

Here's an auction with a Nintendo handbill showing the same screenshots. Must be the source of the screenshots.
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Byron on May 25, 2009, 08:20:32 am
I swear that the song in the second screen shot is the beginning of the Frogger theme..
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Blue Protoman on May 26, 2009, 11:09:14 am
Impossible.  Nintendo never had a Frogger license.  Maybe it's a song that coincidentally starts out the same.  Just compare the first level of City Connection with the Hippie's theme in EB for another example.
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Byron on May 26, 2009, 03:31:15 pm
Give me some credit. Of course I know it would be impossible for a song from an Atari game to appear on a Famicom game. Just pointing out the similarity.

However, I do have a licensed copy of Frogger for my Game Boy..  ;)
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: nintendodork on May 26, 2009, 04:01:25 pm
As do I.  Your move, Protoman.
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Rogles on May 26, 2009, 04:33:04 pm
Pawn to E-5... wait. No. D:<
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Trium Shockwave on May 26, 2009, 04:58:56 pm
Taking my best shot at those titles. First the provided katakana, then what I think the kanji, romaji and translation would be. It really does make things a pain in the butt when there's no kanji, Japanese having no concept of spaces between words and all...

イヌノオマワリサン
犬のお巡りさん
Inu no Omawari-san
The Dog's Policeman
(According to my dictionary, Omawari-san is a friendly/childish word for police based on the word "mawaru" which means to circle or patrol)

センロハツヅクヨドコマデモ
線路は続くよどこまでも
Senro wa Tsudzuku yo Doko Made mo
How Far Do the Tracks Go?
(Not really sure of this one since I'm not familiar with the word "senro". The given meanings I have are "line", "track" and "roadbed" so I picked the one that seemed to make the most sense. I'm thinking this means train tracks, since footprints are usually "ashiato")

And the title of the game would be "Ongaku Asobi" or "Music Play"
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Blue Protoman on May 26, 2009, 06:08:56 pm
Quote from: Byron on May 26, 2009, 03:31:15 pm
Give me some credit. Of course I know it would be impossible for a song from an Atari game to appear on a Famicom game. Just pointing out the similarity.

However, I do have a licensed copy of Frogger for my Game Boy..  ;)



1. Like many early 80's games, Frogger was multiplatform.
2. Frogger was by Konami.
3. That Game Boy one was published by Konami.

I love arguing.  >:D
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Tupin on May 27, 2009, 07:48:24 pm
Wow, great discovery on the handbill guys. Must have been an early/limited release handbill because like I said, it was canceled very, very early into production, and it's possible that it never even went into production, Nintendo might have just made up screenshots for the game and planned to make it later.
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Zeloz (akaBill) on July 07, 2009, 12:31:56 am
Well, concerning the two identified songs, they seem to be simple nursery rhymes. The firat song, I found on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntOkVduh69M

and as for "Senro wa Tsuzuku yo Doko Made mo", this is actually the Japanese version of the nursery rhyme "I've Been Working on the Railroad".

Just in case anyone was wondering...
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: 133MHz on July 07, 2009, 12:32:06 pm
Every song on Frogger's soundtrack is some kind of old PD song. Listen long enough and you'll hear classics like I've Been Working On The Railroad, Barney the Dinosaur and many others.
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: UglyJoe on July 07, 2009, 12:54:27 pm
Frogger pre-dates Barney :P

The "Barney the Dinosaur" song is a rip-off of "This Old Man".
Title: Re: The lost launch title- Donkey Kong Music Education.
Post by: Trium Shockwave on July 07, 2009, 01:00:07 pm
OK, so it is talking about a policeman who actually is a dog. I'd considered that, but it didn't seem to make sense. I still can't think of a really smooth way to translate it though.