Ken Lobb
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Alan Lobb is an American video game designer formerly employed by Taxan USA Corp.
, Namco Hometek
, and Nintendo of America
, and currently employed by Microsoft Game Studios
.
Lobb was employed as Product Manager of Taxan USA between 1989 and 1991, where he worked on games for the Nintendo Entertainment System
such as Burai Fighter
, Low G Man, and G.I. Joe
. After Taxan closed down, Lobb was then briefly employed by Namco Hometek, where he worked on the localization of the Genesis versions of Rolling Thunder 2
and Splatterhouse 2
. Afterward, Lobb was employed by Nintendo of America, where he worked on several games, including GoldenEye 007, from 1994 until 2001. Lobb has been employed by Microsoft Game Studios since 2001.
Taxan
TAXAN is a subsidiary of Kaga Electronics, a Japanese electronics company. It was founded in July 1981, and in the late-1980s and early-1990s, the US division published several video games on the NES and Game Boy....
, Namco Hometek
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
, and Nintendo of America
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
, and currently employed by Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft Studios is the video game production wing for Microsoft, responsible for the development and publishing of games for the Xbox, Xbox 360, Games for Windows and Windows Phone platforms. They were established in 2002 as Microsoft Game Studios to coincide with the release of the Xbox, before...
.
Lobb was employed as Product Manager of Taxan USA between 1989 and 1991, where he worked on games for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
such as Burai Fighter
Burai Fighter
is a side-scrolling shooting video game released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in .The setting for Burai Fighter, according to the manual, is to fend off seven bases of Burai, super-intelligent cyborgs. The player starts out with a relatively weak cannon but can upgrade to ring, laser, and...
, Low G Man, and G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe (NES)
G.I. Joe is a 1991 run and gun game published by Taxan for the Nintendo Entertainment System based on the toyline of the same name. The game was produced by Ken Lobb and developed by the same Japanese team that later formed KID. It was followed by a single sequel titled G.I...
. After Taxan closed down, Lobb was then briefly employed by Namco Hometek, where he worked on the localization of the Genesis versions of Rolling Thunder 2
Rolling Thunder 2
is an arcade game by Namco released in 1990. It is the sequel to 1986's Rolling Thunder and retains the same run and gun gameplay of its predecessor, adding cooperative gameplay for 2-Players and improved graphics. Unlike the original Rolling Thunder, which was set in the 1960s, Rolling Thunder 2...
and Splatterhouse 2
Splatterhouse 2
Splatterhouse 2 is a sidescrolling beat 'em up video game released in 1992 on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis home video game console by Namco. It is the sequel to Splatterhouse....
. Afterward, Lobb was employed by Nintendo of America, where he worked on several games, including GoldenEye 007, from 1994 until 2001. Lobb has been employed by Microsoft Game Studios since 2001.
Works
- Burai FighterBurai Fighteris a side-scrolling shooting video game released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in .The setting for Burai Fighter, according to the manual, is to fend off seven bases of Burai, super-intelligent cyborgs. The player starts out with a relatively weak cannon but can upgrade to ring, laser, and...
(NESNintendo Entertainment SystemThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, 1990) - Low G Man (NES, 1990)
- G.I. JoeG.I. Joe (NES)G.I. Joe is a 1991 run and gun game published by Taxan for the Nintendo Entertainment System based on the toyline of the same name. The game was produced by Ken Lobb and developed by the same Japanese team that later formed KID. It was followed by a single sequel titled G.I...
(NES, 1990) - Rolling Thunder 2Rolling Thunder 2is an arcade game by Namco released in 1990. It is the sequel to 1986's Rolling Thunder and retains the same run and gun gameplay of its predecessor, adding cooperative gameplay for 2-Players and improved graphics. Unlike the original Rolling Thunder, which was set in the 1960s, Rolling Thunder 2...
(Genesis, 1991) - Hometek Team - Kick MasterKick MasterKick Master is a side-scrolling action video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System that was released in 1992 by Taito. The game has some role-playing game elements, such as leveling up.-Plot:...
(NES, 1992) - Splatterhouse 2Splatterhouse 2Splatterhouse 2 is a sidescrolling beat 'em up video game released in 1992 on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis home video game console by Namco. It is the sequel to Splatterhouse....
(Genesis, 1992) - Special Thanks - Wings 2: Aces High (SNES, 1992) - Producer
- Splatterhouse 3Splatterhouse 3Splatterhouse 3 is the title of a video game released by Namco for the Mega Drive/Genesis in 1993. It is the sequel to Splatterhouse 2 and was one of the first games to be given a rating by Sega's own Videogame Rating Council. In North America the game was given a MA-13 rating by the council for...
(Genesis, 1993) - Special Thanks - Super Punch-Out!! (SNESSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, 1994) - Special Thanks - Donkey Kong CountryDonkey Kong CountryDonkey Kong Country is a side-scrolling platformer video game developed by Rare, featuring the character Donkey Kong. It was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. Following an intense marketing campaign, the original SNES version sold over 8 million copies worldwide, making...
(SNES, 1994) - Special Thanks - Killer InstinctKiller InstinctKiller Instinct is a fighting game developed by Rare and published by Midway and Nintendo. Initially released in arcades in 1994, and rumored to use an "Ultra 64" hardware engine, in reality the proprietary arcade hardware was co-developed by Rare and Midway. The game received a high profile launch...
(Arcade, 1994) - Game Design, Character Voices - Killer Instinct 2Killer Instinct 2Killer Instinct 2 is a 1996 arcade-only fighting game developed by Rare, licensed by Nintendo, and manufactured by Midway.KI2 is the sequel to Killer Instinct , an arcade game which was also ported to the SNES...
(Arcade, 1996) - Character Voices, Additional Design, Special Thanks - Cruis'n USACruis'n USACruis'n USA is an arcade racing game originally released in 1994. It was developed by Midway Games and published and distributed by Nintendo...
(N64Nintendo 64The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
, 1996) - Special Thanks - Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! is a platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo and was the third and final installment in the Donkey Kong Country trilogy until Nintendo announced Retro Studios would be developing the next installment, Donkey Kong Country Returns...
(SNES, 1996) - Special Thanks - TetrisphereTetrisphereTetrisphere is a falling block puzzle video game for the Nintendo 64 console. Developed by Canadian company H2O Entertainment, a nearly-complete version of the game was originally slated for release on the Atari Jaguar in early 1995...
(N64, 1997) - Product Coordinator - Donkey Kong Land IIIDonkey Kong Land IIIDonkey Kong Land III is the third and final entry in the Donkey Kong Land trilogy of games for the original Game Boy and later became ported to the Game Boy Color exclusive to Japan. It was developed by Rareware and distributed by Nintendo...
(GBGame BoyThe , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
, 1997) - Special Thanks - GoldenEye 007 (N64, 1997) - NOA Treehouse Staff
- Diddy Kong RacingDiddy Kong RacingDiddy Kong Racing is a 1997 racing game for the Nintendo 64 developed by Rareware. 800,000 copies were ordered in the two weeks before Christmas 1997, making it the fastest selling video game at the time, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. It is the first game to spin off from the...
(N64, 1997) - NOA Thanks To - Cruis'n WorldCruis'n WorldCruis'n World is the 1996 sequel to the 1994 arcade racer Cruis'n USA. As the title implies, Cruis'n World allows players to race on various tracks around the world. The game also features more cars than Cruis'n USA. This game introduced stunts to the Cruis'n series. They served to dodge obstacles,...
(N64, 1997) - NOA Producer - Blast CorpsBlast CorpsBlast Corps is a video game for the Nintendo 64 developed by Rare and published by Nintendo. It was released in North America on February 28, 1997, and in the PAL regions on September 1, 1997...
(N64, 1997) - NOA Staff - Banjo-KazooieBanjo-KazooieBanjo-Kazooie is a platform and action-adventure video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998...
(N64, 1998) - NOA Big Thanks - Star Wars Episode I: Racer (N64/GBCGame Boy ColorThe is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
) - Thanks to Nintendo of America - R-Type DX (GBC, 1999) - Special Thanks
- The New TetrisThe New TetrisThe New Tetris is a puzzle video game for the Nintendo 64. The game was developed by H2O Entertainment and published by Nintendo, based on the latter's popular Tetris series...
(N64, 1999) - Special Thanks - NBA 3 on 3 Featuring Kobe Bryant (N64, 1999) - Special Thanks
- Mickey's Racing AdventureMickey's Racing AdventureMickey's Racing Adventure is a Disney racing game for the Game Boy Color created by Rareware and published by Disney Interactive and Nintendo.-See also:*List of Disney video games by genre...
(GBC, 1999) - Thanks - Ken Griffey Jr.'s SlugfestKen Griffey Jr.'s SlugfestKen Griffey Jr.'s Slugfest is a baseball game for the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color. It was released in 1999. It is a sequel to Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey, Jr., released for the Nintendo 64, which itself was a sequel to Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball and Ken...
(N64/GBC, 1999) - Special Thanks - Jet Force GeminiJet Force GeminiJet Force Gemini is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by Rare. It was exclusively released for the Nintendo 64 in late 1999 in North America, Europe and Japan...
(N64, 1999) - NOA Thanks To - Duke Nukem: Zero HourDuke Nukem: Zero HourDuke Nukem: Zero Hour is a third-person shooter video game in the Duke Nukem series, developed by Eurocom for the Nintendo 64. The game uses a relatively large 32 megabyte cartridge and could also utilize the Expansion Pak to allow for better graphics but slowing down the frame rate...
(N64, 1999) - Special Thanks - Donkey Kong 64Donkey Kong 64Donkey Kong 64 is a platform game, developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in North America on November 24, 1999 and in Europe on December 6, 1999. The game is a follow up to the Donkey Kong Country trilogy on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System...
(N64, 1999) - Special Thanks - Conker's Pocket TalesConker's Pocket TalesConker's Pocket Tales is an adventure video game developed and published by Rare and released in 1999. The game features a dual-format cartridge that serves as both a Game Boy and Game Boy Color game. The gameplay is presented from an overhead perspective where players control Conker the Squirrel...
(GBC, 1999) - NOA Special Thanks - Command & ConquerCommand & ConquerCommand & Conquer, abbreviated to C&C and also known as Tiberian Dawn, is a 1995 real-time strategy computer game developed by Westwood Studios for MS-DOS and published by Virgin Interactive. It was the first of twelve games to date to be released under the Command & Conquer label, including a...
(N64, 1999) - Executive Producer - Perfect DarkPerfect DarkPerfect Dark is a first-person shooter video game developed by Rare for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It is considered the spiritual successor to Rare's earlier first-person shooter GoldenEye 007, with which it shares many gameplay features...
(N64, 2000) - NOA Staff