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ADK
エーディーケイ |
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In the rich history of video games ADK have never been more than bit-players, but they still get an honorable mention.
Their beginnings were relatively quiet - it was during the 90s that they gained all of their momentum thanks to their close association with SNK and the Neo Geo. They were the first third party to develop for the hardware, releasing a total of 18 titles between 1990 and 1996.
ADK's Neo Geo output is simply superb. They are behind some of the machine's most unique and memorable content. The zany World Heroes series propelled them to cult status, making a golden era for the company that peaked with the celebrational party game ADK World (1995).
Ironically it was this reliance on the Neo Geo brand that would be their downfall: the disastrous Neo Geo Pocket cost ADK and SNK dearly, forcing them to close doors by 2000.
But their legacy remains: the recent PS2 compilations World Heroes Gorgeous (2007) and ADK Tamashii (2008) show that they left enough of a mark to deserve more than a footnote. |
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Established
in Saitama in July of 1980, 'Alpha Denshi Kabushiki
Kaisha' (アルファ電子 株式会社) started off as a minor
electronics company.
Their
first release was Shougi (1980), a
basic japanese chess simulator. Later the same year came Dorachan (1980), a Doraemon themed game seemingly released without an official licence: the title screen credits 'Craul Denshi'. |
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Crush Roller (1981) |
Champion Baseball (1983) |
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Crush Roller (1981) remains ADK's most memorable release of this early period. Essentially a Pac-Man (1980) clone with a paintbrush, it's a quality little game that was given a brief revival on the Neo Geo Pocket in 1999.
Success would also come in the field of sports games: Exciting Soccer (1983) was a quality arcade football game, while Champion Baseball (1983) was an advanced baseball game for its time (its
arcade distribution was handled by Sega - who would later overlook its home conversion on the SG-1000). |
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Battle Field (1987) |
Gang Wars (1989) |
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The
ADK / SNK partnership began in style with the excellent Battle
Field (1987), a superbly produced overhead
shooting game that gathered
a massive worldwide audience as 'Time Soldiers'. SNK also handled the arcade distribution of ADK's Gang Wars (1989), another cult favourite of the period. |
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Magician Lord (1990) |
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The moment that ADK will forever be associated with
is their joining ranks with SNK and their Neo
Geo project, becoming the very first licensed
company to develop for the format.
Here was a
platform they thrived on, producing a string of
memorable titles right from launch: Magician
Lord (1990) is an extraordinary platform game in every respect and Ninja
Combat (1990) remains a memorable arcade action game, very much
in the same spirit as Gang Wars.
A
string of refreshingly original titles for the Neo Geo
would follow: Raguy (1991) remains the machine's only Mario-style platformer, and the overhead racing game Thrash Rally (1991) made clever use of the Neo Geo's under-used link-up feature. |
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World Heroes (1992) |
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The World
Heroes series is ADK's hilarious take on the versus fighting game boom of the 90s. All four chapters were supremely playable, joyful and full of character - World Heroes Perfect (1995) might well be the pinnacle of ADK's career. |
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Sadly their success was short-lived: the utter failure of the Neo Geo Pocket left ADK in poor shape, forcing them to close doors in 2000.
Their IP was rapidly snapped up by SNK Playmore, leading to a few of their characters appearing in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum (27 July 2005) and the PS2 exclusive Twinkle Star Sprites La Petite Princesse (28 July 2005).
More recently still the compilation ADK Tamashii (2008) kept the name alive for a while, but seemingly ADK are all but gone - and somewhat missed. |
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Exciting
Soccer
エキサイティングサッカー |
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Champion
Baseball
チャンピオンベースボール |
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Champion
Baseball Part-2
チャンピオンベースボール2 |
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Exciting
Soccer II
エキサイティングサッカー2 |
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Splendor
Blast
スプレンダーブラスト |
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Super
Stingray
スーパースティングレイ |
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Super
Champion Baseball
スーパーチャンピオンベースボール |
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ADK
Tamashii
ADK魂
PLAYSTATION 2 |
DETAILS
| Format |
PlayStation
2 |
| Released |
18
Dec 2008 |
| Publisher |
SNK
Playmore |
| Product
ID |
SLPS-25906 |
| Size
(cm) |
19
x 13.5 x 1.5 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.17 |
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ADCD-100 |
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31
Oct 1994 |
Action
ROM version
released by SNK
[NGH-005] |
ADCD-101 |
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31
Oct 1994 |
Action
ROM version
released by SNK
[NGH-009] |
ADCD-102 |
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2
May 1995 |
Action
Neo Geo CD only |
ADCD-103 |
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10
Nov 1995 |
Variety
Neo Geo CD only |
ADCD-104 |
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22
Mar 1996 |
Puzzle
Neo Geo CD only |
ADCD-001 |
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31
Oct 1994 |
Action
aka 'Blue's Journey' |
ADCD-002 |
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31
Oct 1994 |
Action
RPG
Spelling of Japanese title changed for Neo Geo CD |
ADCD-003 |
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31
Oct 1994 |
Racing
Originally released
as 'Thrash Rally'
on Neo Geo |
ADCD-004 |
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31
Oct 1994 |
Shooting |
ADCD-005 |
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17
Mar 1995 |
Vs.
Fighting |
ADCD-006 |
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14
Apr 1995 |
Vs.
Fighting |
ADCD-007 |
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11
Nov 1994 |
Vs.
Fighting |
ADCD-008 |
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13
Jan 1995 |
Vs.
Fighting
aka 'Aggressors of Dark Kombat' |
ADCD-009 |
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21
July 1995 |
Vs.
Fighting |
ADCD-010 |
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Syougi
no Tatsujin
将棋の達人 |
20
Oct 1995 |
Table
(Shogi) |
ADCD-011 |
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5
July 1996 |
Racing |
ADCD-012 |
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27
Sep 1996 |
Vs.
Fighting |
ADCD-013 |
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21
Feb 1997 |
Shooting |
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'ADK',
'Alpha Denshi' and the ADK logo are registered
trademarks of ADK Corporation
ADK TM and © ADK All Rights Reserved
Page content, design & layout © 2012 Arcade Gear |
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