Simple series
Encyclopedia
Console game
A console game is a form of interactive multimedia used for entertainment. The game consists of manipulable images generated by a video game console, and displayed on a television or similar audio-video system. The game itself is usually controlled and manipulated using a handheld device connected...
s, published by Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, 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...
ese company D3 Publisher
D3 Publisher
D3Publisher is a Japanese video game publisher founded on February 5, 1992. Current CEO and president is Yuji Ito, and It is known for its Simple series of low-priced console games. Their games have been released for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2,...
and developed by a variety of companies, covering many systems. The price of the games in yen (not including tax) is included in the title of the series - for example Simple 2000 is about 2000¥.
The games are usually characterised by their distinctive package design featuring artwork surrounded by a black border, with the game's title (usually prefixed by "The" in English) in a plain white font. The series name and volume are also displayed prominently.
The early games in the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
Simple 1500 series were generic interpretations of common video game themes, such as mahjong
Mahjong
Mahjong, sometimes spelled Mah Jongg, is a game that originated in China, commonly played by four players...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
or racing
Racing
A sport race is a competition of speed, against an objective criterion, usually a clock or to a specific point. The competitors in a race try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time...
. However the various series now cover many more original and unusual titles in addition to those based on concepts. Since the games are almost universally created on a low budget with a short development time, developers are able to experiment to some extent with titles such as The Daibijin, which has attracted attention largely due to its central premise of a giant bikini
Bikini
The bikini is typically a women's two-piece swimsuit. One part of the attire covers the breasts and the other part covers the crotch and part of or the entire buttocks, leaving an uncovered area between the two. Merriam–Webster describes the bikini as "a woman's scanty two-piece bathing suit" or "a...
-clad woman attacking a city, rather than any gameplay or graphical merits.
A producer at D3 Publisher has stated that the company will not be able to continue the Simple series on what was then "next-gen" systems (i.e. seventh generation
History of video game consoles (seventh generation)
In the history of video games, the seventh generation of consoles is the current generation , and includes consoles released since late by Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony...
). The Simple Wii Series dedicated to 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...
console was recently created, however.
Developers
D3 employs a number of external developers for the series, some of the most prolific being TamsoftTamsoft
is a Japanese video game developer, founded on 26 June 1992.Some of their most popular games were released for Sony's PlayStation console, including the Battle Arena Toshinden series, early Choro Q games and Guardian's Crusade...
and HuneX
HuneX
HuneX is a video game developer formed as a partnership between NEC Home Electronics, Ltd. and Human in 1992. HuneX mainly produces Bishōjo games and Otome games.-Games:*77: Beyond the Milky Way*Aikagi: Nukumori to Hidamari no Naka de*Angel's Feather...
- most are smaller or little-known companies, although several games have been licensed from Taito
Taito Corporation
The is a Japanese publisher of video game software and arcade hardware wholly owned by publisher Square Enix. Taito has their headquarters in the Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, sharing the facility with its parent company....
for a (usually enhanced) re-release.
Notable games
Certain Simple series titles have attracted considerable interest outside of Japan for various reasons, either gameplay quality or a particularly unique idea - these include The OneChanbara and its sequels, as well as Sandlot's The Chikyuu Boueigun and Global Defence Force, which were based on their Gigantic Drive engine and were of considerably higher quality than most games in the series. Both of these series' have had sequels for the MicrosoftMicrosoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
video game console, although they were originally labelled under an 'X' moniker (OneChanbara X and Earth Defense Force X
Earth Defense Force 2017
Earth Defense Force 2017, known in Japan as is a third-person shooter developed by Sandlot, and published by D3 Publisher, for the Xbox 360. It is the follow-up to Global Defence Force, and is the first game in the series to be released to North America...
) rather than a 'Simple' one.
International releases
Many of the PlayStation 2PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
Simple 2000 games have been released in PAL regions as budget titles by Midas Interactive Entertainment
Midas Interactive Entertainment
Midas Interactive Entertainment is a European publisher based on the outskirts of Takely in Essex, England of computer, PDA, mobile phone and video games....
, Agetec
Agetec
Agetec is a US based video game publishing company that is best known for bringing Japanese titles to the US, including their flagship series Armored Core, and the King's Field RPG series, as well as their "designer series" of RPG Maker and Fighter Maker...
or 505 GameStreet, usually under different titles and with new cover art; recently D3 Publisher of Europe has released several titles itself under the "Essential Games" brand. Additionally, several of the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
Simple 1500 games were released in the US (by Agetec) and Europe (by Midas and Phoenix Games). Despite the recent establishment of D3 Publisher of America, the only game in the Simple 2000 series to gain a North American release was The Bass Fishing (as Fisherman's Bass Club); this is believed to be due to SCEA's more restrictive licensing policy.
See also
- Success (company)Success (company)Success Corporation is a Japanese game developer and publisher, based in Tokyo, and founded in: June 1976. They are best known for their Cotton series of shooter games , Zoo Keeper and others...
, another Japanese publisher whose "SuperLite" series is very similar to D3's Simple series.
External links
- D3 Publisher
- 505 GameStreet
- Simple series list (includes developer and localisation information)
- Simple 2000 article and reviews from got-next
- Simple series reviews from the_game_database