Rakugaki Showtime[a] is a 1999 fighting game for the PlayStation developed by Treasure and published by Enix. It is a full 3D battle arena fighting game, featuring characters that resemble crayon drawings. The game was only released in Japan.

Rakugaki Showtime
Developer(s)Treasure
Publisher(s)Enix
Director(s)Tetsuhiko Kikuchi
Designer(s)Naoki Kitagawa
Tetsuhiko Kikuchi
Tsunehisa Kanagae
Programmer(s)Hiroshi Matsumoto
Masaki Ukyo
Artist(s)Gō Nakazawa
Kazuo Yasuda
Composer(s)Norio Hanzawa
Toshiya Yamanaka
Kanta Watanabe
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • JP: 29 July 1999
Genre(s)Fighting
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

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Gameplay screenshot

Rakugaki Showtime is a fighting game in a full 3D fighting arena.[1] It features up to four players.[1] Throwing projectiles feature prominently in the game, which has led to some reviewers comparing the game to being similar to dodgeball, but lacking a dividing line between the teams.[1] The game features 17 playable characters, including guest character Marina Liteyears from Mischief Makers.[2]

Development and release

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Rakugaki Showtime was Treasure's first original project for PlayStation.[3] It featured music composed by Kenta Watanabe, who had previously worked on Banpresto's Panzer Bandit (1997).[4] The game was released on 29 July 1999, and published by Enix.[5] The game was given a very limited release because of a legal dispute over who owned the characters between Enix and Treasure.[6] The game became a rare item after its release, and would sell for 15,000 yen ($150 U.S.).[7] It was re-released for the PlayStation Network "Game Archives" in Japan on 25 June 2008.[8] It retailed for 600 yen.[9] The game was to be the basis for the GameCube and PlayStation 2 fighting game based on Tiny Toon Adventures, called Tiny Toons: Defenders of the Universe,[6] but the game was never released. It was later leaked onto the internet.[10]

Reception

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Rakugaki Showtime was met with positive reception from critics.[7][13][14][15]

Notes

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  1. ^ Japanese: ラクガキショータイム, lit. "Graffiti Showtime"

References

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  1. ^ a b c Kalata, Kurt (12 July 2017). "Rakugaki Showtime". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  2. ^ Bevan, Mike (19 June 2008). "Full of Eastern Promise". Retro Gamer (52): 36.
  3. ^ Griffin, Mike (September 1999). "Cover Story - Game Profile: Rakugaki Showtime; An Interview with Masato Maegawa - Founder and President, Treausre; Text Continued". Gamers' Republic. No. 16. Millennium Publishing. pp. 17–18, 124.
  4. ^ Manent, Mathieu (1 February 2018). PlayStation Anthology. Geeks-Line. pp. 30–32. ISBN 979-1093752334.
  5. ^ a b "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: ラクガキショータイム". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 555. ASCII Corporation. 6 August 1999. p. 29. Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  6. ^ a b Fahs, Travis (7 May 2008). "Beta Blues, Vol. 2 - Games snatched away from us at the last minute: Conspiracy Theory". IGN. Ziff Davis. p. 2. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  7. ^ a b Davies, Jonti (2 July 2008). "Japanese PlayStation Store Gems - Jonti reckons Sony is doing a great job managing the Japanese PlayStation Store..." GameSpy. IGN. p. 1. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  8. ^ "プレイステーション3のゲームアーカイブスに『ゼノギアス』や『アストロノーカ』など6タイトルが追加". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. 25 June 2008. Archived from the original on 4 September 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  9. ^ Gibson, Ellie (25 June 2008). "Square Enix releases old games via PSN - But only for the Japanese Store". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  10. ^ Spencer (4 March 2009). "Lost Treasure Developed Tiny Toons Game Found". Siliconera. Curse LLC. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  11. ^ Ngo, George (November 1999). "Imports: Rakugaki Showtime". GameFan. Vol. 7, no. 11. Shinno Media. pp. 82–83.
  12. ^ Bartholow, Peter (12 October 1999). "Rakugaki Showtime (Import) Review - Those looking for a great party-game fix should give Rakugaki Showtime a look". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  13. ^ Bevan, Mike (19 June 2008). "Full of Eastern Promise: Rakugaki Showtime". Retro Gamer. No. 52. Imagine Publishing. pp. 36–37.
  14. ^ "Hidden Japanese Gems - How to infiltrate the Japanese PlayStation Store, and pick up an array of 32-bit classics and rarities!". IGN. Ziff Davis. 29 April 2009. p. 1. Archived from the original on 20 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  15. ^ Miller, Patrick (11 February 2016). "17 mold-breaking fighting games that all developers should study". Gamasutra. UBM Technology Group. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
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