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Frogacuda
10-30-2007, 06:15 PM
Stolen from Melf:

According to this article (http://www.tokyo-keizai.co.jp/tosan/24.html) Telenet was deeply in debt and closed last Thursday. Here's Babelfish's translation:



(Inc.) Japanese Telenet - business stop

Industry kind game software sale
Place resident in area Tokyo Toshima Ku east Ikebukuro 4-21-6
Facilities stand 1983 October
18 secondary industry members
Generation chart person Fukushima harmony line
Main gold 1 hundred million 8,135 ten thousand Yen of resources
About debt sum total 10 hundred million Yen

Business was stopped to 2007 October 25th, left posterior processing to the attorney.

This corporation being the game software development dealership, the pachinko game software developed sold to subject, appropriated about gross sales 4 hundred million 5,200 ten thousand Yen in 2006 March period, but debt excess state continued with the failure of game center management at the American subsidiary company and deterioration of profit characteristic, also own power reconstruction of the management with the goodwill transfer of the game software and the sale etc. of possession stock became the limit and became the latest situation.

Attorney shine Hisashi Nara (the Tokyo Chiyoda Ku Kasumigaseki 3-5-1, TEL 03-3500-3200) to leave posterior processing, as for debt sum total thing about of 10 hundred million Yen.

Telenet did a lot of great console and computer games back in the 16-bit days, including all of Wolfteam's games (Wolfteam was an internal studio of Telenet). Valis, Arcus, Gaiares, Sol-Feace, Granada... Tons of classic games on the Genesis, X68000, and TG-16.

They kind of fell off in the 32-bit era, as Wolfteam mostly focused on the Namco "Tales of" RPGs. After 1999, Wolfteam worked exclusively on Tales game and Telenet mostly focused on casual games like Golf, Pachinko and Mahjong. Last year they stooped to a new low and did a series of Hentai games based on Valis. Talk about whoring out your old characters.

They still to this day own a very large stake in Namco Tales Studios (the new name for Wolfteam), but it seems that arrangement has not been enough to keep them afloat.

So I guess it's a long time in coming, but it's still sad to see. They did do some great stuff.

NeoZeedeater
10-30-2007, 06:23 PM
It's a shame they didn't continue their style of platformers and shooters much past the 16-bit era. I was a big fan but I pretty much mourned their loss years ago even if they were technically alive.

Duo Valis III and IV really elevated that series into something more special than the earliest games. It's too bad they never got the attention of more popular, similar games like Castlevania.

Frogacuda
10-30-2007, 07:08 PM
It's my understanding that Telenet had two near-complete exoduses in as many years, which is why you saw such a change in their output. In 93 (I think) most of their staff left, some of them to Gau/Nex and Telenet rebuilt Wolfteam with some young talent that made Tales of Phantasia. That team then left before ToP was even released to form tri-Ace, and Telenet re-staffed AGAIN to form the studio that made the later Tales games.

I gotta hand it to them, considering they had to re-staff like that, they did seem to get good talent each time, even if there was clearly a change. Their offshoots have done ok for themselves, too. tri-Ace, of course, is one of Japan's premiere RPG devs, Nex made Ranger X, Cyber Speedway and some other good stuff, and Namco Tales Studios, well... we all know what they do.

Bruhaha69
10-30-2007, 08:42 PM
Meengya, that sucks. Of their games that I played, I particularly loved Gaiares and Valis.

How much better are the Turbo Duo/PC engine versions? I've only played Valis and Valis III on Genesis. Always wondered how much I was missing.

Frogacuda
10-30-2007, 08:58 PM
I haven't played the Duo versions, but they were the latest (except maybe the SNES ones, not sure) and by most accounts most refined.

Fun fact: Rosie O'Donnel played Yuko in Valis III's box art, apparently:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4d/Valis3.jpg

NeoZeedeater
10-31-2007, 01:17 AM
Meengya, that sucks. Of their games that I played, I particularly loved Gaiares and Valis.

How much better are the Turbo Duo/PC engine versions? I've only played Valis and Valis III on Genesis. Always wondered how much I was missing.

I haven't compared the Valis 1 versions much. I'm not a big fan but I still own the MD version.

Duo Valis III's gameplay feels tighter, there are more levels, and the CD soundtrack is much nicer. The Genesis version's good, too but it's a downgraded port. They did an impressive job with the cinemas, though.

Duo Valis IV was also downgraded when brought to SNES as Super Valis IV. They removed most of the playable characters and cinemas. They took out some levels and added others so it's almost like a different game. The SNES game's good but not the best version.


Fun fact: Rosie O'Donnel played Yuko in Valis III's box art, apparently:

Heh. The tranny on the domestic Turbo cover probably didn't help sales either.

Frogacuda
10-31-2007, 01:35 AM
Valis 1 and 2 you can really feel the computer heritage. I'm pretty sure those started as MSX2 games (or maybe PC-88?) and they still kinda have that feel.

NeoZeedeater
10-31-2007, 02:14 AM
This thread is making me want to play Psycho Dream again (it's a Telenet SFC game similar to Valis for those that don't know). Anyone here a fan? It rarely gets mentioned.

Frogacuda
10-31-2007, 02:42 AM
I played it a little. The walking speed is painfully slow, and the music repetitive, but it plays well. The way the attack levels up reminds me of Kenseiden for some reason.

Bruhaha69
10-31-2007, 09:17 AM
Holy shit, that does look like Rosie O'Donnel, hahaha. They really wanted to let you know that the main character was hot, so who better to model the US cover on?

Never played Psycho Dream, but it looks pretty nice. I'll have to try that one out.

I had no idea Valis IV was a port. I thought that one was SNES, only. I remember not really liking that game too much, anyway. I wanted my Yuko back. Maybe they wanted to make sure not to go back on the story they created. I guess I can accept that as a matter of good principle.

It's too bad Gaiares didn't get the CD audio treatment. I frikkan love that soundtrack. It would have sounded sweet (already sounded sweet on the Genesis).

Frogacuda
10-31-2007, 02:10 PM
It's too bad Gaiares didn't get the CD audio treatment. I frikkan love that soundtrack. It would have sounded sweet (already sounded sweet on the Genesis).
Gaires didn't but almost all of the Wolfteam games have really amazing soundtracks if you have an X68000 and a Roland MT-32. In fact, I think the Sol-Feace CD soundtrack is just recorded off that. Granada, Arcus Odyssey, all of them got the MT-32 treatment and it sounds phenomenal. Unfortunately MT-32 doesn't emulate well, but I think you use a real one when you emulate on the PC.

Bruhaha69
11-04-2007, 06:50 PM
Psycho Dream is pretty good. Play it again, Frog. The right and left trigger make you run.