Absolute Entertainment
Encyclopedia
Absolute Entertainment was a video game publisher
based in Glen Rock, New Jersey
and later in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
. Through its development house
Imagineering, Absolute Entertainment produced titles for the Amiga
, Atari 2600
, Atari 7800
, Sega Game Gear
, Sega Mega Drive, Mega-CD, Game Boy
, Nintendo Entertainment System
, and Super Nintendo Entertainment System
video game console
s, as well as for the PC
. It also released games for the Sega Master System
in Europe
.
employees Dan and Garry Kitchen
, Alex Demeo, John Van Ryzin and David Crane
. While the company was based in New Jersey
, David Crane worked out of his home on the West Coast
.
The name "Absolute Entertainment" was chosen because it precedes Activision alphabetically, and would therefore be listed first in the Consumer Electronics Show
directory. The same ploy had been previously used by Activision in relation to Atari.
The company is probably most notable as having released the cross-platform Battle Tank
series of games and the original A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia game for the NES console.
The company saw a number of badly received titles towards 1995 including a game based on the sitcom Home Improvement. After a series of failures in video game sales, the founding fathers finally pulled the plug on Absolute Entertainment in 1995 in order to create a new company called Skyworks Technologies.
Absolute Entertainment's Atari 2600
games were included on the Activision Anthology
collections. An enhanced remake A Boy and his Blob
was released in 2009 for the Wii
by Majesco.
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
based in Glen Rock, New Jersey
Glen Rock, New Jersey
Glen Rock is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 11,601.-History:...
and later in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
Upper Saddle River is an affluent borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,208. It is not to be confused with the neighboring borough of Saddle River.-History:...
. Through its development house
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
Imagineering, Absolute Entertainment produced titles for the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
, Atari 7800
Atari 7800
The Atari 7800 ProSystem, or simply the Atari 7800, is a video game console re-released by Atari Corporation in January 1986. The original release had occurred two years earlier under Atari Inc. The 7800 had originally been designed to replace Atari Inc.'s Atari 5200 in 1984, but was temporarily...
, Sega Game Gear
Sega Game Gear
The was Sega's first handheld game console. It was the third commercially available color handheld console, after the Atari Lynx and the TurboExpress....
, Sega Mega Drive, Mega-CD, Game Boy
Game Boy
The , 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...
, 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...
, and Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The 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...
video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
s, as well as for the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
. It also released games for the Sega Master System
Sega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
in Europe
Europe
Europe 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 watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
History
The company was formed in 1986 by former ActivisionActivision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
employees Dan and Garry Kitchen
Garry Kitchen
Garry Kitchen is a programmer who is perhaps best known as the author of Garry Kitchen's Gamemaker for Commodore 64.He was also the president of Absolute Entertainment throughout the company's life, and then pulled the plug and became the founding president of Skyworks Technologies in 1995...
, Alex Demeo, John Van Ryzin and David Crane
David Crane (programmer)
David Crane is a video game designer and programmer.Crane started his programming career at Atari, making games for the Atari 2600. After meeting co-worker Alan Miller in a tennis game, Miller told Crane about a plan he had to leave Atari and found a company that would give game designers more...
. While the company was based in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, David Crane worked out of his home on the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
.
The name "Absolute Entertainment" was chosen because it precedes Activision alphabetically, and would therefore be listed first in the Consumer Electronics Show
Consumer Electronics Show
The International Consumer Electronics Show is a major technology-related trade show held each January in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Not open to the public, the Consumer Electronics Association-sponsored show typically hosts previews of products and new...
directory. The same ploy had been previously used by Activision in relation to Atari.
The company is probably most notable as having released the cross-platform Battle Tank
Battle Tank
Battle Tank is an action video game released by Absolute Entertainment in September 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game is similar to the Atari game Battlezone, and supports one player...
series of games and the original A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia game for the NES console.
The company saw a number of badly received titles towards 1995 including a game based on the sitcom Home Improvement. After a series of failures in video game sales, the founding fathers finally pulled the plug on Absolute Entertainment in 1995 in order to create a new company called Skyworks Technologies.
Absolute Entertainment's Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
games were included on the Activision Anthology
Activision Anthology
Activision Anthology is a compilation of most of the Atari 2600 games by Activision for various systems. It also includes some games originally released by Absolute Entertainment and Imagic, as well as some homebrewed games. The Windows and Mac OS X versions are titled Activision Anthology Remix...
collections. An enhanced remake A Boy and his Blob
A Boy and His Blob (2009 video game)
A Boy and His Blob is a platform-puzzle video game developed by WayForward Technologies and published by Majesco Entertainment for the Wii. It was released in North America on October 13, 2009, and in Europe on November 6, 2009...
was released in 2009 for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
by Majesco.
Games
- A/X-101A/X-101A/X-101 is a 1994 space/FMV video game for the Sega CD.-Story:In the future date of 2500, mankind has reached its zenith in space travel and peace. However, after making contact with alien life for the first time, Earth is soon attacked and nearly conquered by a war-driven alien race called the...
- A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia
- Battle Tank
- F-18 Hornet
- Goofy's Hysterical History TourGoofy's Hysterical History TourGoofy's Hysterical History Tour is a video game released in 1993 for the Sega Genesis by Absolute Entertainment.-Story:Goofy finally finds a job that he likes at the Ludwig von Drake History Museum and he turns into a great janitor worker. But his enemy Pete is out to get him fired by sabotaging...
- Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit!
- Kung-Fu Master (Atari 7800)
- Penn & Teller's Smoke and MirrorsPenn & Teller's Smoke and MirrorsPenn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors is an unreleased video game that was planned for release initially on the Sega CD in April 1995 and to be followed by PC and 3DO versions later that year. The game starred the comedy-magician duo Penn & Teller...
- Pete Rose BaseballPete Rose BaseballPete Rose Baseball is a multiplatform video game published by Absolute for the Atari 2600 and the Atari 7800.-Gameplay:The game was a notable improvement over previous Atari 2600 baseball games such as Home Run and RealSports Baseball...
- RDF: Global Conflict
- Skate Boardin'Skate Boardin'Skate Boardin', also known as Skate Boardin': A Radical Adventure is a video game developed by Absolute Entertainment and released in 1987 for the Atari 2600. It was created by former Activision programmer David Crane,creator of the hugely successful Pitfall! game...
- Space Shuttle ProjectSpace Shuttle ProjectSpace Shuttle Project is a Nintendo game released in 1991 by Absolute Entertainment.-Summary:The object of the game is to successfully launch and fly a space shuttle...
- Star Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation (video game)Star Trek: The Next Generation is a 1993 video game based on the Star Trek follow-up series of the same name.-Plot:The players take the role of Starfleet cadets. The cadets are asked to participate in a U.S.S Enterprise-D simulation...
- Super BattletankSuper BattletankSuper Battletank takes place during Operation Desert Storm. The player controls an M1 Abrams main battle tank for the United Nations.-Graphics:The screen is divided into two sections...
- Super Battletank 2Super Battletank 2Super Battletank 2 is a 1994 Super Nintendo Entertainment System-only video game that was released in North America, Europe, and Japan.The game is the sequel to Super Battletank, and the player controls a M1A2 Battletank. There are 16 missions, all located in the Middle East....
- Super Skateboardin
' - Title Match Pro Wrestling
- Tomcat: The F-14 Fighter Simulator
- Toys: Let the Toy Wars Begin!
- Turn and Burn: No-Fly ZoneTurn and Burn: No-Fly ZoneTurn and Burn: No-Fly Zone - known in Japan as - is a jet flight simulator from Absolute Entertainment for the Super NES, released in 1994. An enhanced port of this game is named "F-14 Tomcat" on Game Boy Advance.-General gameplay:...
- Wheel of FortuneWheel of Fortune (video game)Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, premiering in 1975 with a syndicated version airing in 1983. Since 1986, the show has been adapted into various video games, most based on the syndicated nighttime version. Most versions released before 1998 were...
(Mega-CD version)