The Famicom Finale: Adventure Island / Takahashi Meijin games

[Phosphora]

 I've looked around and there seems to be no all appreciation thread for this series. I'd like to think that we all plunked a quarter down for wonder boy or opened an Adventure island NES cart under the Christmas tree at one point? Since Adventure island IV was the NES/Famicom Finale, do you feel it burnt out bright? Was it an appropriate end?

What are your Adventure island memories, and where would you have ended it all had it been your choice?

Happy 2012 Holidays everyone, may Santa stuff some Famicom goods into each of our hearts this year.

[Frank_fjs]

I've not played any of them on the Famicom however I absolutely adore Takahashi Meijin on the PC Engine, I'd rate it as one of the best platformers on the system.

Also loved the original Wonder Boy on the Master System as well as Dragon's Trap via a Japanese Master System with FM sound, gorgeous game.

So which games of the series appeared on the Famicom? Will have to hunt them down...

[Phosphora]

I think besides the 4th title you won't have too much trouble. Just a sub-par title that came in the end and went, the Famicom ultimately ended well.
Post Merge: November 16, 2012, 02:06:40 am
Blackbird singing in the dead of night. You were only waiting for this moment to arise. 

[L___E___T]

My favourite is Adventure Island 2 on the gameboy.  Overall I like number 2 the best, but Dragon's trap is wonderful.  
Dragon's Trap isn't on the famicom, right?
My memories are playing Wonderboy to death on the game gear (it seemed really hard back then) and Wonderboy 3 (aka Dragon's Trap) on the Master System.
Loved them both!

[P]

Isn't Dragons Trap more Wonder Boy and less Adventure Island though?

The game I played the most must be Super Adventure Island for SNES. I could never beat the last boss though.
I also really liked the original Wonder Boy and played it quite a bit.

I would like to play more Adventure Island and Wonder Boy games sometime.

[Frank_fjs]

It's hard to know exactly what game people are referring to as the titles differed amongst platforms, in a confusing way.

[L___E___T]

More detailed writeup & history:
http://hg101.kontek.net/wonderboy/wonderboy.htm

"Wonder Boy in Monster Land was also ported to the Famicom, though with a totally different title and altered characters, under the name Saiyuuki World"



Following is granted, from Wikipedia, but helpful hopefully:

Spoiler

Relation to Wonder Boy:

Adventure Island began development as a port of the Sega arcade game Wonder Boy, which Hudson Soft obtained the rights from developer Escape (now known as Westone Bit Entertainment). During the development of the port, the decision was made to change the character design of the protagonist, modeling him and naming him after Hudson Soft's spokesman Takahashi Meijin.[2] In the western version of Adventure Island, the Takahashi Meijin character was renamed Master Higgins.

While the Wonder Boy series adapted an action RPG system for its sequels (beginning with Wonder Boy in Monster Land), most of the Adventure Island sequels stuck to the game system of the original Wonder Boy. Moreoever, Hudson Soft also obtained the rights to port all of the Wonder Boy sequels to the TurboGrafx 16, changing the title and character designs of each game (with the exception of Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair). Incidentally, the Japanese version of Dracon's Curse (the TurboGrafx 16 adaptation of Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap) was titled Adventure Island.

Re-releases:

The NES version of Adventure Island was re-released in Japan for the Game Boy Advance as a Famicom Mini title on May 21, 2004. It was later re-released internationally for the Wii Virtual Console service in 2008.

A remake was also developed for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube titled Hudson Selection Volume 4: Takahashi Meijin no Bōken Jima, which was released exclusively in Japan on December 18, 2003.
Sequels

Two sequels were produced for the NES, Adventure Island II and Adventure Island 3, as well as a fourth game for the Famicom that was released exclusively in Japan titled Takahashi Meijin no Bōken Jima IV. In addition to the stand-alone Famicom Mini re-release of the first game, all four games were re-released in a compilation for the Game Boy Advance titled Hudson Best Collection Vol 6: Bōken Jime Collection, released in Japan on January 19, 2006.

Sequels were also released on other platforms, such as Adventure Island and Adventure Island II for the Game Boy (which were based on the second and third NES game respectively), Kiki Inland for the Gamate, Super Adventure Island and Super Adventure Island II for the Super NES, New Adventure Island for the TurboGrafx-16, and Adventure Island: The Beginning for the Wii.

[close]

[Jedi Master Baiter]

I could never get into the first Adventure Island, so the series pretty much ended there for me. And now I'm kicking my ass for it because everyone says the second one is arguably the best designed game for the NES & I tend to agree.

I did give it a try, but honestly, it's hard for me to get started in the middle of a series.

[P]

I did give it a try, but honestly, it's hard for me to get started in the middle of a series.

Lol!

Basically Adventure Island is a product made because the developers had a contract with Sega that prevented them from making ports of Wonder Boy to other systems. It then became it's own series retaining the old formula while Wonder Boy developed differently combining genres. Both Shot 'em up and RPG features were mixed in. ...or so I heard...

[XiTaU]

I really love adventure island but since i was brought up with a sega console i guess im more of a wonderboy fanboy.
Probably my fav Gamegear / Master System title out there and a great title for the nes / famicom but alot more choice on the system so i dont rate adventure island as high.

[L___E___T]

I too have fond memories of Wonderboy and Wonderboy 3.  I think they're great but Adventure Island 2 and 3 are really good, as good as Wonderboy I think.  Not a huge fan of Wonderboy in Monster World, or Adventure Island 3 though.

[treismac]

I've got love for Master Higgins/Takahashi Meijin.  The first one in the series in both brilliant and difficult and is one of my favorite platformers of all time along with the amazing Turbographx-16 version, which takes the series to an amazing height of awesomeness.  Two and Three on the NES are fun, but they are almost identical to each other and lose something of the feel of the first one's sense of panic which makes the game so special.  The WiiWare edition is decent enough, but I hate the graphics deeply.  Retro gamers like pixels- not a hard concept to grasp.  The SNES versions feel the most off to me, and I have consequently not spent much time with them.  The first Wonderboy rocks too, but I don't care for the sequels that totally desert the run and eat fruit or die formula.

I have so much more to say about this beloved series but I have to wake up early to work tomorrow (Thanksgiving) for my corporate whore of a job.

[Jedi Master Baiter]

So Adventure Island sequels are too much like Adventure Island & Wonderboy sequels are not enough like Wonderboy?

Eh bien...

[treismac]

So Adventure Island sequels are too much like Adventure Island & Wonderboy sequels are not enough like Wonderboy?

Eh bien...

It's a Goldielocks' porridge sorta dilemma, I reckon.