Star Blazers/Space Battleship Yamato Game?

[silverpoodleman]

Has there ever been a video or arcade game based on Star Blazers or its original source, the Japanese series, Space Battleship Yamato? It originally aired in the US in 1978, had three seasons (Quest for Iscandar, The Comet Empire and The Bolar Wars) and five movies (Space Battleship Yamato, Arrivederci Yamato, Yamato New Journey, Be Forever Yamato and Final Yamato [i think the order is wrong here though + the English titles are somewhat different]).

 

As a kid growing up with the Star Force (the name of the people aboard the Argo [the Argo is the English name of the Yamato - yes, it gets confusing in the translation]), this was the ultimate anime/cartoon. Earth has 365 days until it is destroyed. A lone ship armed with alien technology is sent on a hail mary mission to Iscandar (some 144,000 light years from earth) to retreive a machine that will save the earth (well, that's series 1 anyway). The uniforms had big arrows up the chest and bell bottoms - the animation is time appropriate, meaning it stinks - the music is the best for any cartoon/anime series ever - the countdown to earth's destruction at the end of each episode is priceless ("Hurry Star Force. Earth only has 278 days until all life on Earth will be destroyed" or something like that) - and most importantly, the hokiness factor combined with great battles/battle speak ("Turn Argo 340 by 120" - "Lock Upper Gun turrets and fire at 10,000 Megameters!" etc., In other words, it was cool for a 10 year old!!!), hokie dialouge ("Didn't think I coud do it, did you, Wildstar?"), unbelievable characters (Dr. Sane - enough said!), death, chicks who make Barbie looks fat, and passion (yes, you heard me, PASSION), make this one of the all-time great shows to watch/own.

 

Given that and the timing of the video gamings emmergance into home gaming, I would have thought a video game based on this series would have been inevitable. I thought I once heard there was going to be something on SNES called Yamato or Space Battleship Yamato, but I cannot find anything.

 

Does anyone have any info on this?

 

You may notice that the icon to the left is Leader Desslock of the Gamilon Empire.

 

If you do not know about Star Blazers/Space Battleship Yamato, shame on you! To learn more and start your adventure, go to http://www.desslok.com/

[SteveW]

I'd swear that I read about a Yamato game supposedly released in Japan in the early '90s. I don't have any info other than that, it was just a sentence or two that I read about it in a game magazine back in the day.

 

It would make sense to create games based on Space Battleship Yamato, considering pretty much every anime in Japan seems to have a videogame based on it nowadays. Some series have had countless games based on them through the years, like Macross. Macross games go as far back as a title on the Japanese version of the Emerson Arcadia 2001, and the Famicom.

[Gabriel]

I know there is at least one PS1 game. Wikipedia says the following link is about a series of PS2 games:

 

http://yamato.channel.or.jp/ps2/

[Gabriel]

I know there is at least one PS1 game.  Wikipedia says the following link is about a series of PS2 games:

 

http://yamato.channel.or.jp/ps2/

989141[/snapback]

 

A few of the pictures make me wonder if the story might have been rewritten a bit to officially make the old Alex Wildstar = Captain Harlock connection.

[mos6507]

There was a game for the TG16. I think it required the CD adapter.

 

There was also I think a game for the PS1.

 

For some strange reason these games never made their way to the US.

 

The rights-holders of Yamato have woefully underestimated the strength of the franchise in the US and have really mismanaged the franchise overall due to bickering between Nishizaki and Matsumoto and the Nishizaki drug bust.

[s0c7]

Gameboy (b&w) & Wonderswan (color) also. Nice little strategy games that follow the 1st story arc. One of them (the Wonderswan I think) has a shooter as well.