Thanks to the Basement Brothers for directing me here. Wow. The delivery, the obvious mastery of the subject, the fun facts and anecdotes make these videos gems on the platform. I particularly loved the bit on Miss Detective, that I played back in the day. The ambiance of this game stuck with me, halfway between your good old FMV point and click and a tourist interactive CD. Thank you, Sir, thank you.
Thank you very much for your video and for the quality of french subtitles, it's really hard to obtain informations about data west, in english. I've discover their games recently and your videos answer to my questions, great job !
I'm so pleased to hear the subtitles work out on in other languages! My French is not the best so I've tried to make the script as universal as I could so that it translated easier.
There is something about the phrase "Despite being FMV" that brings a silly smile to my face. Probably because FMV was such a misstep and regression in game play.
Incredible video! I've been always been a huge fan of Data West, but mostly because of the Rayxanber series and Saito's music (the stuff he did for the psychic detective is superb and will always be in my game music top 10. Major props for using it across this video.) Liked and subscribed.
Your effort is much appreciated, I learn so much from your videos. I've played and seen a lot of games you cover as I've studied the art in these games, but so many of these backstories have been unknown to me. Thank you!
Thank you! The art in Psychic Detective is honestly its strongest point, and I think the FM Towns does well at bringing out something a bit more colorful than the PC98 does. Data West is oddly secretive - with a lot of stuff pushed out to reps, so not as much backstory here, but I tried to note some of the more notable employees that were in and out of the company as I talked about the titles.
What an awesome video! Thank you so much for diving so deeply into these utterly fascinating yet virtually unknown companies. I've been intrigued by Datawest for some time now, as I own the first four 4th Unit games for MSX (the only four to receive MSX ports, sadly!), but I never knew much about them beyond thinking the 4th Unit games were pretty rad. I had absolutely no idea they had their fingers in so many pies, as it were, and I'm more intrigued by them as a company than ever after watching this video! I don't know how you keep managing to find video topics that VERY SPECIFICALLY align with my interests, but you do, and I absolutely love it. Whatever video you plan on making next, you can be certain I'll check it out and boost it on social media, too!
Hey! New mic! :D I was fine with the quality before, but thanks for the upgrade :) It almost feels like it doesn't fit now, since I'm used to your videos sounding like a VHS recording (sort of a aesthetic bonus considering what you make videos about), but that's probably just me :D . Either way. Here's to clean sound and the content it helps bring out :)
All of these videos have been a treat to watch. Haven't seen much of anything like 'em and it's been mighty informative. Really glad we saw 'em pop up in our recommends; looking forward to watch more of what ya make! The added subtitles are dearly appreciated too.
I'm truly enjoying your videos, such inspirations seeing the underground scene of video game companies. . Really sheds the light of an empire that I adore all my life. . .
It's kind of mindboggling how the Data West games begun and how their evolution went on, some I could easily see being cross-media projects, like the Psychic Detective series. Easily a drama series back in the day, with amazing vibes. Heck, maybe a manga as well? I think around then was when Taju-Jinkaku Tantei Psycho came out? Same with the 4th Unit it could be an OVA to tie in with the games. But even without that, the various sound series novels remind me of some NES games, like the Kamaitachi no Yoru detective story. What an era. What a vibe. Though the later 80s and 90s PC games have the aesthetic I most like, like Snatchers.
Yeah, the lack of things like audio dramas, manga or one-off OVAs surprised me, and I think has more to do with Data West being a smaller company. 4th Unit seems pretty tailored for something like that, and BLON-WIN was popular. Japanese media sure has a lot of psychic detectives, although Data West's creation is original to them. It would've been fun to see though, especially with the odd hybrid Japan-Italy environments that series had going on. As wild and gory as the dream sequences get (I couldn't show them in the video) the main story is certainly small enough that animation was feasible, and KyoAni had already worked on the cinematics. Feels like a lost opportunity.
@@f_t_b2238 Yeah, especially with how much Project A-Ko was allowed to get away with back then, like A-ko being Wonder Woman's and Superman's daughter as a gag, 4th Unit paying homage to a few A-ko eccentricities wouldn't be much. Yeah, not further pursuing a KyoAni deal for at least one story, even an original one for video, is a bit of a lost opportunity. Though I feel that years later, with Majin Tantei Neuro's anime from Madhouse, a semblance of what could have been was shown in two anime-excelusive episodes. Otherwise, indeed, their psychic detective is original to them, T-J Tantei Saiko wasn't gory but was action-y and mind-bending in its PBD messhed with psychic powers while more modern series, like the excessively gory Psycho x Past by Hakaiju artist, Honda Shingo tones down ths psychic element for the focus on gore and crime prevention rather than mystery solving with supernatural means. But maybe the second part, the supernatural means of solving a mystery and the wild dreams are now covered by Uchikoshi's works, like AI: The Somnium Files.
Another great video. I was aware of Data West because of the Rayxanber series, but had no idea about all of their adventure games. I'll definitely be checking some of those out, and Brave Prove as well! Your subs have also gone up from around 14 to 1.72k, wow! Congrats and well deserved.
Yeah. that Soft Studio Wing video made the rounds lol. Gotta make good on the promise and fix Ashguine now, too. I need to credit sources and inspirations better on my old stuff
Thank you so much for gathering the information on all these games and companies that are obscure here in the U.S. I love being shown new rabbit holes to follow and learn from.
Thank you for another great video! My knowledge in this area is very sparse but I love watching your works and learning more about the topics you cover.
Hey! Just recently discovered your Channel and Iove It! Is always nice to see someone focusing on niche games and obscure series. Do you think you can make a video about the Tantei Jingūji Saburō series? I recently started playing the 3DS one released as Jake Hunter, and I know the series has being going on for decades in Japan, but there's 0 content about it in western RUclips.
Jake Hunter is on the list, but "detective games in Japan" is a topic that I wanted to be cautious about for the double reason of the absolute incredible quality of the Geimu video about RiverhillSoft and the irritating nature of English Blue Chicago Blues being on a very hard to find system. But it's on there, once I figure out exactly how to tackle it
Comrade, your videos are splendid. Data West’s catalog and evolution was clearly rooted in PC world, but I’m glad PCE/MD connections were included, too. Is there any further info on Laserdisc/LaserActice development (Vajra games, for example)? LA was a niche-within-a-niche so DataWest was there, ha!
Very little, but there is one group dedicated to the archiving of those games. I'll link their site in a comment when I have a moment. There is also a video advertisement that has to be seen to be believed, framing the Phillips LaserActive as the result of a UFO abduction. I'll link that as well.
ruclips.net/video/jLdupKvXiEU/видео.html Phillips LaserActive ad. Different sources from mine but some material overlap I think. The LaserActive isn't something easily emulated, although videos exist of people capturing from live units. Those folks might know more than me as I haven't dug too far into it, but may do so in the future.
ill admit it took me an hour to watch the video, because the first 20 minutes was me sending the link to every friend it was pertaining while yelling at them "there was a Data West!?!?"
Woah woah woah brother, how could you drop that about D-Again re-releasing these old titles at the very end, but not elaborate??? Anyway another great video as always, love your work.
There's honestly not too much more than what was mentioned, but here's a siliconera article summarizing their new release strategy www.siliconera.com/data-west-to-return-to-video-game-industry-with-digital-rereleases-and-sequels/ And the shop as it stands currently d-again.com/shop/ I didn't see any sales data for any of their releases, as D-again feels like a much smaller venture than EGG or even the indie projects mentioned in the Studio WING video. Hope it helps, though.
Most of the ports are the Windows releases or DOS/V ports. The 4th Unit ones are new to me - I think they've been added recently. There were actually conflicting sources about their existence, so I'm pleased to see that a couple of them got ports after all. I can't vouch for them working on Windows 10 and beyond, though.
@@f_t_b2238 Thanks so much for the response brother! Love the channel and really looking forward to seeing what they re-release, and how. I think a lot of people are realizing that games have gone in a strange direction, and need to go back to a time when loners, nerds, and genuinely creative types were making games, rather than focus groups and committees.
Some of it is looperman fair use samples. Usually the non "talking over old commercials" footage is music taken directly from the games being discussed, so the 4th unit section is music from that, the Psychic Detective is music from that...
I mean to be fair the show was the same way. Oddly enough the host passed on and was replaced by Segata Sanshiro himself! I had to correct that last minute lol
@@f_t_b2238 For sure, it probably sounds better in Japanese too. I didn't even know who Segata Sanshiro was until just now, that's pretty crazy though!
@@paulahaunt ah, sorry. Long day. Hiroshi Fujioka is the actor. He did a bunch of stuff including being the first Kamen Rider. He also has his own coffee brand!
A remix done by me from freely available samples. More specific sources are below. General rule of the videos is its a mix of sounds from the games themselves and the piano / drum / sax tracks are usually sample remixes. EDIT: for that section ("Slow Summer") the source files used for remix were Cute Plucks by ebae (Ambient) and Go Wrong Rhodes Piano by sconthetrack (piano) , as well as various drum loops from software.
I think I will make something like that once I can figure out an angle that doesn't tread on ground already covered by other folks, but definitely there will be some technical or historical context due to how crazy large the PC98 market dominance was.
That's a character that might come back someday, I think. Her story feels kinda unfinished, like if there were a couple more games she would have had an ending.
Sort of. zTranslate in Retroarch works crazy good with the Sega CD ports of Aya and Orgel. Brave Prove has a translation. 4th Unit I had to do with a cellphone and patience x.x
I think I may record two audio narrations from here on out if I can match the timing and stick the old mic one in an unlisted video for those that miss the heavy compression.
Yeah, I couldn't get into this into the video because I lack the knowledge to be accurate but apparently there are some connections to Pro Wrestling in terms of naming convention in 4th Unit, so I'd say that's deliberate. I'll mark this comment to come back to it once I can figure out the specific references.
I learned so much. Thanks for providing something different in a sea of videos.
You are most welcome! That feeling is very mutual.
The vibe of this era is unbeatable
Yep, it's surprising that a lot of this is circa 1991 ish as well, The FM Towns was a beast of a machine
Thanks to the Basement Brothers for directing me here. Wow. The delivery, the obvious mastery of the subject, the fun facts and anecdotes make these videos gems on the platform. I particularly loved the bit on Miss Detective, that I played back in the day. The ambiance of this game stuck with me, halfway between your good old FMV point and click and a tourist interactive CD. Thank you, Sir, thank you.
Quickly becoming my favorite channel on the platform.
This channel is easily the best thing going. I know the views aren't there yet, but keep at it. People will find this.
I appreciate the subtitles a lot! Interesting, well-scripted and well-edited, this video feels like a late-night documentary you can settle down with
Thanks! That's exactly the intention
Exactly! The narration is serious and without trying to be forcibly funny like other youtubes, I hate that lol
@@bvim75 Yeah modern youtube humor is formulaic and far from funny. F_T_B is (hopefully) the way of the future.
I really like the way you present the matter. Plus, obscure Japanese games and media is a fascinating topic that is not yet fully explored
Randomly stumbled on this channel and this is my shit. Keep it up man, these are the deepest dives I've seen yet on English RUclips
That's the plan :) Usually videos are uploaded roughly every 1 or 2 months or so. Should have the next one up by the end of this month.
Thank you very much for your video and for the quality of french subtitles, it's really hard to obtain informations about data west, in english. I've discover their games recently and your videos answer to my questions, great job !
I'm so pleased to hear the subtitles work out on in other languages! My French is not the best so I've tried to make the script as universal as I could so that it translated easier.
The conclusion is awesome.
I love that, I love it when Companies DON'T try to hide their old stuff
New to the channel but so glad someone is doing info on this company! Wish I could've lived in japan and supported them
There is something about the phrase "Despite being FMV" that brings a silly smile to my face. Probably because FMV was such a misstep and regression in game play.
Incredible video! I've been always been a huge fan of Data West, but mostly because of the Rayxanber series and Saito's music (the stuff he did for the psychic detective is superb and will always be in my game music top 10. Major props for using it across this video.)
Liked and subscribed.
Your effort is much appreciated, I learn so much from your videos. I've played and seen a lot of games you cover as I've studied the art in these games, but so many of these backstories have been unknown to me. Thank you!
Thank you! The art in Psychic Detective is honestly its strongest point, and I think the FM Towns does well at bringing out something a bit more colorful than the PC98 does.
Data West is oddly secretive - with a lot of stuff pushed out to reps, so not as much backstory here, but I tried to note some of the more notable employees that were in and out of the company as I talked about the titles.
What an awesome video! Thank you so much for diving so deeply into these utterly fascinating yet virtually unknown companies. I've been intrigued by Datawest for some time now, as I own the first four 4th Unit games for MSX (the only four to receive MSX ports, sadly!), but I never knew much about them beyond thinking the 4th Unit games were pretty rad. I had absolutely no idea they had their fingers in so many pies, as it were, and I'm more intrigued by them as a company than ever after watching this video! I don't know how you keep managing to find video topics that VERY SPECIFICALLY align with my interests, but you do, and I absolutely love it. Whatever video you plan on making next, you can be certain I'll check it out and boost it on social media, too!
Hey! New mic! :D I was fine with the quality before, but thanks for the upgrade :) It almost feels like it doesn't fit now, since I'm used to your videos sounding like a VHS recording (sort of a aesthetic bonus considering what you make videos about), but that's probably just me :D . Either way. Here's to clean sound and the content it helps bring out :)
All of these videos have been a treat to watch. Haven't seen much of anything like 'em and it's been mighty informative. Really glad we saw 'em pop up in our recommends; looking forward to watch more of what ya make!
The added subtitles are dearly appreciated too.
I'm truly enjoying your videos, such inspirations seeing the underground scene of video game companies.
.
Really sheds the light of an empire that I adore all my life.
.
.
It's kind of mindboggling how the Data West games begun and how their evolution went on, some I could easily see being cross-media projects, like the Psychic Detective series. Easily a drama series back in the day, with amazing vibes. Heck, maybe a manga as well? I think around then was when Taju-Jinkaku Tantei Psycho came out? Same with the 4th Unit it could be an OVA to tie in with the games. But even without that, the various sound series novels remind me of some NES games, like the Kamaitachi no Yoru detective story. What an era. What a vibe. Though the later 80s and 90s PC games have the aesthetic I most like, like Snatchers.
Yeah, the lack of things like audio dramas, manga or one-off OVAs surprised me, and I think has more to do with Data West being a smaller company.
4th Unit seems pretty tailored for something like that, and BLON-WIN was popular.
Japanese media sure has a lot of psychic detectives, although Data West's creation is original to them. It would've been fun to see though, especially with the odd hybrid Japan-Italy environments that series had going on. As wild and gory as the dream sequences get (I couldn't show them in the video) the main story is certainly small enough that animation was feasible, and KyoAni had already worked on the cinematics. Feels like a lost opportunity.
@@f_t_b2238 Yeah, especially with how much Project A-Ko was allowed to get away with back then, like A-ko being Wonder Woman's and Superman's daughter as a gag, 4th Unit paying homage to a few A-ko eccentricities wouldn't be much.
Yeah, not further pursuing a KyoAni deal for at least one story, even an original one for video, is a bit of a lost opportunity. Though I feel that years later, with Majin Tantei Neuro's anime from Madhouse, a semblance of what could have been was shown in two anime-excelusive episodes. Otherwise, indeed, their psychic detective is original to them, T-J Tantei Saiko wasn't gory but was action-y and mind-bending in its PBD messhed with psychic powers while more modern series, like the excessively gory Psycho x Past by Hakaiju artist, Honda Shingo tones down ths psychic element for the focus on gore and crime prevention rather than mystery solving with supernatural means. But maybe the second part, the supernatural means of solving a mystery and the wild dreams are now covered by Uchikoshi's works, like AI: The Somnium Files.
Another great video. I was aware of Data West because of the Rayxanber series, but had no idea about all of their adventure games. I'll definitely be checking some of those out, and Brave Prove as well!
Your subs have also gone up from around 14 to 1.72k, wow! Congrats and well deserved.
Yeah. that Soft Studio Wing video made the rounds lol. Gotta make good on the promise and fix Ashguine now, too. I need to credit sources and inspirations better on my old stuff
I found out about them bc they had a page on tcrf right next to data east
These videos are excellent.
Thank you for these videos. Your channel digs into a niche that perfectly fits my interests. Please keep up the good work!
this channel is exactly what i wanted! awesome content, thank you
Love you vids. Listens to Soft Studio Wing a TON
I ❤️ this channel
You're doing an incredible job with this channel, mate. Subbed.
great video, thanks!
Expedition 1 looks to be "inspired" by the Amstrad CPC game Roland on the Ropes.
Wow amazing video, please keep more coming!!!
Fantastic channel you have here, subscribed and waiting for more!
Thank you so much for gathering the information on all these games and companies that are obscure here in the U.S. I love being shown new rabbit holes to follow and learn from.
You are most welcome :)
Dude how you do not have more subs, you have quality content and Im always amaze by the knowledge you share with us
Thank you for another great video! My knowledge in this area is very sparse but I love watching your works and learning more about the topics you cover.
Another amazing video!
Hey! Just recently discovered your Channel and Iove It! Is always nice to see someone focusing on niche games and obscure series. Do you think you can make a video about the Tantei Jingūji Saburō series? I recently started playing the 3DS one released as Jake Hunter, and I know the series has being going on for decades in Japan, but there's 0 content about it in western RUclips.
Jake Hunter is on the list, but "detective games in Japan" is a topic that I wanted to be cautious about for the double reason of the absolute incredible quality of the Geimu video about RiverhillSoft and the irritating nature of English Blue Chicago Blues being on a very hard to find system. But it's on there, once I figure out exactly how to tackle it
Comrade, your videos are splendid. Data West’s catalog and evolution was clearly rooted in PC world, but I’m glad PCE/MD connections were included, too. Is there any further info on Laserdisc/LaserActice development (Vajra games, for example)? LA was a niche-within-a-niche so DataWest was there, ha!
Very little, but there is one group dedicated to the archiving of those games. I'll link their site in a comment when I have a moment.
There is also a video advertisement that has to be seen to be believed, framing the Phillips LaserActive as the result of a UFO abduction. I'll link that as well.
LaserActive preservation project:
laseractive.wordpress.com
ruclips.net/video/jLdupKvXiEU/видео.html
Phillips LaserActive ad.
Different sources from mine but some material overlap I think.
The LaserActive isn't something easily emulated, although videos exist of people capturing from live units. Those folks might know more than me as I haven't dug too far into it, but may do so in the future.
ill admit it took me an hour to watch the video, because the first 20 minutes was me sending the link to every friend it was pertaining while yelling at them "there was a Data West!?!?"
Somehow, inexplicably, it doesn't have a single thing to do with Data East and on that, I could find no explanation.
@@f_t_b2238 i guess we'll have to keep an eye out for a Data North or Data South popping up to solve the mystery.
Woah woah woah brother, how could you drop that about D-Again re-releasing these old titles at the very end, but not elaborate??? Anyway another great video as always, love your work.
There's honestly not too much more than what was mentioned, but here's a siliconera article summarizing their new release strategy
www.siliconera.com/data-west-to-return-to-video-game-industry-with-digital-rereleases-and-sequels/
And the shop as it stands currently
d-again.com/shop/
I didn't see any sales data for any of their releases, as D-again feels like a much smaller venture than EGG or even the indie projects mentioned in the Studio WING video. Hope it helps, though.
Most of the ports are the Windows releases or DOS/V ports. The 4th Unit ones are new to me - I think they've been added recently. There were actually conflicting sources about their existence, so I'm pleased to see that a couple of them got ports after all. I can't vouch for them working on Windows 10 and beyond, though.
@@f_t_b2238 Thanks so much for the response brother! Love the channel and really looking forward to seeing what they re-release, and how. I think a lot of people are realizing that games have gone in a strange direction, and need to go back to a time when loners, nerds, and genuinely creative types were making games, rather than focus groups and committees.
I love the videos! Is there a way to get a list of the music you use in these?
Some of it is looperman fair use samples. Usually the non "talking over old commercials" footage is music taken directly from the games being discussed, so the 4th unit section is music from that, the Psychic Detective is music from that...
Haha those super long subtitles for the Expedition games are cracking me up!
I mean to be fair the show was the same way. Oddly enough the host passed on and was replaced by Segata Sanshiro himself! I had to correct that last minute lol
@@f_t_b2238 For sure, it probably sounds better in Japanese too. I didn't even know who Segata Sanshiro was until just now, that's pretty crazy though!
@@paulahaunt ah, sorry. Long day. Hiroshi Fujioka is the actor. He did a bunch of stuff including being the first Kamen Rider. He also has his own coffee brand!
@@f_t_b2238 Hahah, oh okay, it would have been weird if a Sega mascot suddenly started hosting a random show.
@paulahaunt this is a valid point. I'll post a link to a trailer for it when I can retrieve it, it is.... something.
there seems to be a typo in the subtitles at 19:48. the subtitles read "memory system" while the voiceover has "menu system"
repaired, thanks for spotting that
Love your content!
Nice
What's the music for the TDF portion? It's really nice!
A remix done by me from freely available samples. More specific sources are below.
General rule of the videos is its a mix of sounds from the games themselves and the piano / drum / sax tracks are usually sample remixes.
EDIT: for that section ("Slow Summer") the source files used for remix were Cute Plucks by ebae (Ambient) and Go Wrong Rhodes Piano by sconthetrack (piano) , as well as various drum loops from software.
@@f_t_b2238Thanks so much man! I really appreciate it!
Oh boy, eventually you're gonna end up making a video about the PC98. I will be giddity like a sussy schoolgirl in anticipation until it happens. XD
I think I will make something like that once I can figure out an angle that doesn't tread on ground already covered by other folks, but definitely there will be some technical or historical context due to how crazy large the PC98 market dominance was.
i didnt even know there was a data west i thought east was the only one
Somehow, two different companies without any inter-relation, which still feels weird to me.
Does this have anything to do with Data East?
Nope! Completely unrelated!
I've only met BLON-WIN in this video and somehow I miss her now.
That's a character that might come back someday, I think. Her story feels kinda unfinished, like if there were a couple more games she would have had an ending.
Always wondered if they had anything to do with the less obscure Data East.
Somehow not at all, a fact that continues to amuse me. It's like finding a company called Nokami or Trianglesoft.
Can you tell me the name of that Sunday morning tv computer program
Sure! PC Sunday Morning. I'll get the Japanese title when I can as well
Here you go, the search results for this will be more fruitful, and good luck getting the theme song out of your head once you hear it.
パソコンサンデー
Any English translations available?
Sort of.
zTranslate in Retroarch works crazy good with the Sega CD ports of Aya and Orgel.
Brave Prove has a translation.
4th Unit I had to do with a cellphone and patience x.x
he got a new mic :(
I think I may record two audio narrations from here on out if I can match the timing and stick the old mic one in an unlisted video for those that miss the heavy compression.
"The WWWF"
The World-Wide Wrestling Federation?!
Yeah, I couldn't get into this into the video because I lack the knowledge
to be accurate but apparently there are some connections to Pro Wrestling in terms of naming convention in 4th Unit, so I'd say that's deliberate. I'll mark this comment to come back to it once I can figure out the specific references.
Data Weast?
Data East is, oddly enough, a large and separate unrelated company.
Data East is better
They're unrelated, but they'll be covered at some point.
@@f_t_b2238 I know, I was just making a joke abt how similar their names are