Ultra Software Corporation was a spinoff company created in 1988 as a subsidiary of
Konami of Americais a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
, in an effort to get around
Nintendo of Americais 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...
's strict licensing rules. One of these rules was that a third-party company could only publish up to five games per year for the
Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe and Australia in . In most of Asia, including Japan , China, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines, it was released as the , commonly abbreviated as the...
in the US. This was hardly convenient for Konami, which had begun releasing more than ten games a year for both the
Family ComputerThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe and Australia in . In most of Asia, including Japan , China, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines, it was released as the , commonly abbreviated as the...
and Family Computer Disk System in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
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Ultra Software Corporation was a spinoff company created in 1988 as a subsidiary of
Konami of Americais a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
, in an effort to get around
Nintendo of Americais 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...
's strict licensing rules. One of these rules was that a third-party company could only publish up to five games per year for the
Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe and Australia in . In most of Asia, including Japan , China, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines, it was released as the , commonly abbreviated as the...
in the US. This was hardly convenient for Konami, which had begun releasing more than ten games a year for both the
Family ComputerThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe and Australia in . In most of Asia, including Japan , China, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines, it was released as the , commonly abbreviated as the...
and Family Computer Disk System in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. With a greater library than they were allowed to localize, Konami formed the Ultra Games brand to extend their annual library to ten games a year.
Ultra's first game was the NES version of
Metal Gearis a stealth game designed by Hideo Kojima. Metal Gear was developed and first published by Konami in 1987 for the MSX2 home computer...
. At first, Ultra was dedicated to localizing Konami's pre-existing software from Japan, but later they began publishing works from other companies as well. Some of Konami's most notable games released under the Ultra label include
Operation COperation C, released as in Japan and Probotector in Europe and Oceania, is a 1991 run and gun game by Konami released for the Game Boy...
(an original
Game BoyThe is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America on , and in Europe on . In Southern Asia, it is known as the "Tata Game Boy" It is the first handheld console in the Game Boy line...
installment of the
Contra series),
Snake's RevengeSnake's Revenge is a stealth action game by Konami released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990. The game was produced as a sequel to the original Metal Gear, made specifically for the North American and PAL market following the success of the first NES game...
(a sequel to the original
Metal Gear) and the first few
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games for the NES and Game Boy.
After the North American launch of the
Super Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES 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...
, Nintendo became less strict on the number of games third-parties could publish. As a result, Ultra Games began losing its purpose and Konami shortly dropped the label in 1992.
In
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
, Konami established the
Palcom Software Limited subsidiary for similar purposes. Their library was similar to Ultra's, but the company also published games that were not released in America, notably
Parodius and
Pop'n TwinbeePop'n Twinbee is a video game published and developed by Konami, part of the Twinbee series released for the Super NES. It is the fifth game in the series and the first one released for the Super NES, and also the first released in Europe, which was ported by Konami's subsidiary...
.
Nintendo Entertainment System
- Metal Gear
is a stealth game designed by Hideo Kojima. Metal Gear was developed and first published by Konami in 1987 for the MSX2 home computer...
(June 1988-Events:*June — Nintendo releases the last issue of "Nintendo fun club news";*July — Nintendo releases the first issue of Nintendo Power magazine.-Notable releases:...
)
- Skate or Die!
Skate or Die! is a skateboarding game released by Electronic Arts in 1987 for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Atari ST, Apple IIgs, Amstrad CPC, and IBM Compatibles running MS-DOS. It was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System by Konami, and published by Ultra Games...
(December 1988-Events:*June — Nintendo releases the last issue of "Nintendo fun club news";*July — Nintendo releases the first issue of Nintendo Power magazine.-Notable releases:...
)
- Gyruss
is a shoot 'em up video arcade game developed by Konami, and released in 1983. It was designed by Yoshiki Okamoto, who had earlier created Time Pilot for Konami. Gyruss was licensed to Centuri in the United States, and was ported to numerous games consoles and home computers...
(February 1989-Notable releases:* Bullfrog Productions releases Populous on June 5 1989, which was one of the first commercially successful god games.* Namco releases Winning Run; Rompers; Blast Off, which is the sequel to Bosconian; Valkyrie No Densetsu; Dirt Fox; World Stadium '89; Finest Hour; Burning Force;...
)
- Q*bert
Q*bert is an arcade video game developed and published by Gottlieb in 1982. It is a platform game that features two-dimensional graphics. The object is to change the color of every cube in a pyramid by having the on-screen character jump on top them while avoiding obstacles and enemies...
(February 1989-Notable releases:* Bullfrog Productions releases Populous on June 5 1989, which was one of the first commercially successful god games.* Namco releases Winning Run; Rompers; Blast Off, which is the sequel to Bosconian; Valkyrie No Densetsu; Dirt Fox; World Stadium '89; Finest Hour; Burning Force;...
)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 1989 platform game for the Nintendo Entertainment System...
(June 1989-Notable releases:* Bullfrog Productions releases Populous on June 5 1989, which was one of the first commercially successful god games.* Namco releases Winning Run; Rompers; Blast Off, which is the sequel to Bosconian; Valkyrie No Densetsu; Dirt Fox; World Stadium '89; Finest Hour; Burning Force;...
)
- Defender of the Crown
Defender of the Crown is a strategy computer game designed by Kellyn Beck. It was Cinemaware's first game, and was originally released for the Commodore Amiga in 1986, setting a new standard for graphic quality in home computer games....
(July 1989-Notable releases:* Bullfrog Productions releases Populous on June 5 1989, which was one of the first commercially successful god games.* Namco releases Winning Run; Rompers; Blast Off, which is the sequel to Bosconian; Valkyrie No Densetsu; Dirt Fox; World Stadium '89; Finest Hour; Burning Force;...
)
- Silent Service
Silent Service is a 1985 submarine simulator computer game. It was designed by Sid Meier and published by MicroProse for various 8-bit home computers, and in 1987 for 16-bit systems like the Commodore Amiga...
(December 1989-Notable releases:* Bullfrog Productions releases Populous on June 5 1989, which was one of the first commercially successful god games.* Namco releases Winning Run; Rompers; Blast Off, which is the sequel to Bosconian; Valkyrie No Densetsu; Dirt Fox; World Stadium '89; Finest Hour; Burning Force;...
)
- Kings of the Beach
Kings of the Beach is a beach volleyball computer game made by Electronic Arts in 1988 for the Commodore 64, DOS and the NES.-Gameplay:The player can play as Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos....
(January, 1990-Notable releases:*Bonk's Adventure is released for NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and is the first US appearance of Bonk, the mascot of the TurboGrafx-16.*Namco releases Kyuukai Douchuuki, World Stadium '90, Final Lap 2, Pistol Daimyo no Bouken, which is a spin-off from Berabow Man, Souko Ban Deluxe, Dragon...
)
- Snake's Revenge
Snake's Revenge is a stealth action game by Konami released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990. The game was produced as a sequel to the original Metal Gear, made specifically for the North American and PAL market following the success of the first NES game...
(April 1990-Notable releases:*Bonk's Adventure is released for NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and is the first US appearance of Bonk, the mascot of the TurboGrafx-16.*Namco releases Kyuukai Douchuuki, World Stadium '90, Final Lap 2, Pistol Daimyo no Bouken, which is a spin-off from Berabow Man, Souko Ban Deluxe, Dragon...
)
- Mission: Impossible (September 1990
-Notable releases:*Bonk's Adventure is released for NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and is the first US appearance of Bonk, the mascot of the TurboGrafx-16.*Namco releases Kyuukai Douchuuki, World Stadium '90, Final Lap 2, Pistol Daimyo no Bouken, which is a spin-off from Berabow Man, Souko Ban Deluxe, Dragon...
)
- RollerGames
RollerGames was a U.S. television series that presented a theatrical version of the sport of roller derby for a national audience, and featured a number of skaters who had been in the Roller Games league , as well as younger participants...
(September 1990-Notable releases:*Bonk's Adventure is released for NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and is the first US appearance of Bonk, the mascot of the TurboGrafx-16.*Namco releases Kyuukai Douchuuki, World Stadium '90, Final Lap 2, Pistol Daimyo no Bouken, which is a spin-off from Berabow Man, Souko Ban Deluxe, Dragon...
)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an arcade game produced by Konami in 1989. It is a scrolling beat 'em up based on the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series. As with all merchandise relating to the Ninja Turtles, the name of this game was altered to Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles in Europe...
(December 1990-Notable releases:*Bonk's Adventure is released for NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and is the first US appearance of Bonk, the mascot of the TurboGrafx-16.*Namco releases Kyuukai Douchuuki, World Stadium '90, Final Lap 2, Pistol Daimyo no Bouken, which is a spin-off from Berabow Man, Souko Ban Deluxe, Dragon...
)
- Ski or Die
Ski or Die is a 1990 winter sports game by Electronic Arts for the Amiga, NES, MS-DOS and Commodore 64. It consisted of 5 minigames which could be played individually or in a set sequentially...
(February 1991-Notable releases:*Namco releases Star Blade, Super World Stadium, Solvalou, which is the 3rd title in the Xevious series, Tank Force, which is the sequel to Tank Battalion, Cosmo Gang the Video, which uses characters from a popular redemption game released in the previous year, Steel Gunner 2,...
)
- Base Wars
Cyber Stadium Series: Base Wars is a futuristically-themed sports game, released for the Nintendo Entertainment System on June 1, 1991...
(June 1991-Notable releases:*Namco releases Star Blade, Super World Stadium, Solvalou, which is the 3rd title in the Xevious series, Tank Force, which is the sequel to Tank Battalion, Cosmo Gang the Video, which uses characters from a popular redemption game released in the previous year, Steel Gunner 2,...
)
- Laser Invasion
Laser Invasion, released as Gun Sight in Japan, is a video game developed by Konami and published by Ultra Games in 1991 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Its most notable feature was the inclusion of a headset called the Laserscope, which acted like a light gun but was activated by the voice...
(June 1991-Notable releases:*Namco releases Star Blade, Super World Stadium, Solvalou, which is the 3rd title in the Xevious series, Tank Force, which is the sequel to Tank Battalion, Cosmo Gang the Video, which uses characters from a popular redemption game released in the previous year, Steel Gunner 2,...
)
- Nightshade
Nightshade is an action-adventure game game released in 1991 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was developed by Beam Software and published by Ultra...
(January 1992-Events:-Notable releases:* Namco releases Suzuka 8 Hours, Bakuretsu Quiz Ma-Q Dai Bouken, Super World Stadium '92, Super World Stadium '92 Gekitouban...
)
- Star Trek: 25th Anniversary
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary is a 1991 adventure game developed by Interplay and published by Ultra Games for the Nintendo Entertainment System and later a different version was made with the same name on the Game Boy.-Synopsis:...
(February 1992-Events:-Notable releases:* Namco releases Suzuka 8 Hours, Bakuretsu Quiz Ma-Q Dai Bouken, Super World Stadium '92, Super World Stadium '92 Gekitouban...
)
- Pirates! (October 1992
-Events:-Notable releases:* Namco releases Suzuka 8 Hours, Bakuretsu Quiz Ma-Q Dai Bouken, Super World Stadium '92, Super World Stadium '92 Gekitouban...
)
Game Boy
- Motocross Maniacs
Motocross Maniacs is a video game of the racing genre released in 1989 by Konami, for the Game Boy handheld. The game's concept is quite simple; the player controls a motorcycle moving one way horizontally, much like in a platform game...
(January 1990-Notable releases:*Bonk's Adventure is released for NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and is the first US appearance of Bonk, the mascot of the TurboGrafx-16.*Namco releases Kyuukai Douchuuki, World Stadium '90, Final Lap 2, Pistol Daimyo no Bouken, which is a spin-off from Berabow Man, Souko Ban Deluxe, Dragon...
)
- Nemesis
Nemesis is the first portable game in the Gradius series, released for the Game Boy in 1990. The game has five levels and plays similarly to previous Gradius games....
(April 1990-Notable releases:*Bonk's Adventure is released for NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and is the first US appearance of Bonk, the mascot of the TurboGrafx-16.*Namco releases Kyuukai Douchuuki, World Stadium '90, Final Lap 2, Pistol Daimyo no Bouken, which is a spin-off from Berabow Man, Souko Ban Deluxe, Dragon...
)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan is a 1990 Game Boy game by Konami. The game is based around the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television series...
(August 1990-Notable releases:*Bonk's Adventure is released for NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and is the first US appearance of Bonk, the mascot of the TurboGrafx-16.*Namco releases Kyuukai Douchuuki, World Stadium '90, Final Lap 2, Pistol Daimyo no Bouken, which is a spin-off from Berabow Man, Souko Ban Deluxe, Dragon...
)
- Quarth
Quarth is a hybrid puzzle game/shoot 'em up developed by Konami which was released in 1989 as an arcade game, sold as Block Hole outside Japan...
(December 1990-Notable releases:*Bonk's Adventure is released for NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and is the first US appearance of Bonk, the mascot of the TurboGrafx-16.*Namco releases Kyuukai Douchuuki, World Stadium '90, Final Lap 2, Pistol Daimyo no Bouken, which is a spin-off from Berabow Man, Souko Ban Deluxe, Dragon...
)
- Operation C
Operation C, released as in Japan and Probotector in Europe and Oceania, is a 1991 run and gun game by Konami released for the Game Boy...
(February 1991-Notable releases:*Namco releases Star Blade, Super World Stadium, Solvalou, which is the 3rd title in the Xevious series, Tank Force, which is the sequel to Tank Battalion, Cosmo Gang the Video, which uses characters from a popular redemption game released in the previous year, Steel Gunner 2,...
)
- Blades of Steel
Blades of Steel is an ice hockey video game released by Konami for the arcade in , and ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System in . All teams are fictional but based out of real Canadian and American cities. The game is known for its fast paced hockey action and especially for the fighting. It...
(August 1991-Notable releases:*Namco releases Star Blade, Super World Stadium, Solvalou, which is the 3rd title in the Xevious series, Tank Force, which is the sequel to Tank Battalion, Cosmo Gang the Video, which uses characters from a popular redemption game released in the previous year, Steel Gunner 2,...
)
- Star Trek: 25th Anniversary (February 1992
-Events:-Notable releases:* Namco releases Suzuka 8 Hours, Bakuretsu Quiz Ma-Q Dai Bouken, Super World Stadium '92, Super World Stadium '92 Gekitouban...
)
- Ultra Golf (March 1992
-Events:-Notable releases:* Namco releases Suzuka 8 Hours, Bakuretsu Quiz Ma-Q Dai Bouken, Super World Stadium '92, Super World Stadium '92 Gekitouban...
)
- World Circuit Series (March 1992
-Events:-Notable releases:* Namco releases Suzuka 8 Hours, Bakuretsu Quiz Ma-Q Dai Bouken, Super World Stadium '92, Super World Stadium '92 Gekitouban...
)
External links
- Ultra Games profile on MobyGames
MobyGames is a website which catalogs computer and video games, both past and present. The site contains an extensive database of video game information...