Monster Maker 1 & 2 information (what little there is, & some Japanese links)

[A Black Falcon]

I started playing Monster Maker recently, and the mostly solid gameplay, good lead character in Lia, and great graphics and music definitely make me sad that the sequel never finished.  Yeah, the game is badly buggy, but there's so much here...

So, I looked up the sequel, and could find almost nothing in English except that it was in development, but then was cancelled.  Japanese Wikipedia has a bit more, but machine translations are near-unintelligible... so, can anyone here help?  Here are the relevant bits I found.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/多部田俊雄

モンスターメーカー 闇の竜騎士
    前後編構成の前編に相当するPCエンジン用ソフト、当初予定より2年遅れて1994年に発売された。販促活動の一環として当時は珍しいラジオ番組『アミューズメントパーティーファーストアベニュー』を久川綾と笠原弘子の出演でTBSラジオにて放送したが、番組放送中にソフトが発売されることは無かった。更には後編の『モンスターメーカー 神々の方舟』が結局未発売に終わったため、謎や伏線が全く回収されない尻切れトンボとなってしまった。先述のユーゲーインタビューでは「当初の予定の8倍に内容が膨らんでしまった」「後編のCG、音声、スクリプトはほぼ出来上がったが、PCエンジン用なので他機種で出すには完全作り直しになるので出せなかった」と語っている。当時のPCエンジン雑誌に於いて「これ以上延期した場合は丸坊主になる」といった旨の宣言をしたが、その甲斐もなく延期。件のPCエンジン誌には坊主頭にサングラスでにこやかにポーズを取った多部田の写真が掲載された。

Machine translation, half unintelligible:

Dragon Knight of Darkness Monster Maker
    PC Engine software applications that correspond to the first part of the front and rear knitting configuration, and it was released in 1994 after a delay of two years from the original schedule. Rare radio program at the time the "First Avenue amusement party" as part of the promotional activities Hisakawa Aya and Kasahara Hiroko in appearance of TBS Radio was broadcasting in, but there was no software that will be released in the program being broadcast. Since the "Ark of the Monster Maker Gods" of the sequel ended in yet to be released eventually, it became a left unfinished the foreshadowing and the mystery is not recovered completely even. "What has gone swollen to eight times the originally planned" CG of the "latter part, voice, script was almost finished, but this out because it would recreate complete enough to get in the other models because the PC engine in Yuge interview previously described you are, "said did not. Was a declaration to the effect that such as "become clean-shaven head if you have to postpone any more" and in the PC Engine magazine at the time, but postponed without a meeting. Photos of Taveta that posed smiling in sunglasses in Shaved has been posted on the PC Engine magazine matter.

If the game was as far along as this suggests, it's really unfortunate that they couldn't manage to finish it...


Also, a Saturn Monster Maker game was in development from the same guy.

モンスターメーカー ホーリーダガー
    PCエンジン版とは別ストーリーとなる予定だったセガサターン版。こちらも発売延期を繰り返して結局未発売。

Machine translation:

Monster Maker Holy Dagger
    Was expected to be a different story from the PC Engine version Sega Saturn version. This is also yet to be released eventually repeat the postponement.

Getting back to the TGCD games though, here's more info about the game, with some interestiing but almost incomprehensible through machine translation info, from Lia's Wiki-style Pixiv page. http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ja&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fdic.pixiv.net%2Fa%2F%25E3%2583%25A9%25E3%2582%25A4%25E3%2582%25A2

Note: Bold parts are bold in the original version.

Summary

Was released in 1994 PC Engine hero of "Dragon Knight of Darkness Monster Maker" SUPER CD-ROM ^ 2 game.
We left the village of Ferundo, the journey to reveal the truth.

Not the birthplace, the house grew up was a foundling.
Able to talk to monsters is possible, was get on the wrong side around therefore.
However, it is the owner of a bright personality brave in practice.

From the ear of Kirenaga, half-assed half-elf had been subjected to speculation that or not.

Biggest victim of "fraud to issue out" of poor producer multi-NEC Interchannel of (at the time).
Released time of generational change upcoming PC engine when the last line of repeated postponement to postponement, was released at last.
(Already Saturn it is time the summary of begins to flow in the streets)
Besides content only "half before".
"Ark of Monster Maker Gods" which is the second half was not released at last.
For this reason, the identity of her secret of birth, such as the ability of true was Mai same not told.
(However, from the chronology of the Monster Maker world,
Her conclusion may not have been the thing which never blessed.
In fact, interviews to give out an odor it was listed in the official guide book of "Dragon Knight of Darkness")

Although it is she who is "a tragic heroine" literally,
It is superb card of TCG in "Monster Maker Resurrection" at the end.

Name the last time head story

It is "Ira" If you read upside down from her name.
The name is fantasy of "Ira" is not uncommon creative, and be divided,
In fact I'm also Monster Maker.
Protagonist of the novel "Monster Maker: Dragon Rider",
Boy you are out with a little role to "secret sword of ur 2 Monster Maker" version.
However, there is no picture in question still currently in pixiv.

Uh... yeah.  Here's the link to the original Japanese. http://dic.pixiv.net/a/ライア
Beyond that I can't find anything of note about the sequel, but I found some stuff related to the game/series, so I'll post that below though it's mostly about the first game and not the second.

Also series-related, and kind of interesting:
http://homepage3.nifty.com/muroto/mm/mmold/mmcha.html - This site has a release list of Monster Maker-franchise titles.  The game is originally a card-game RPG, and has various games based on it, but the NEC game is unrelated to the rest -- as this chart I linked shows, the main character of the TGCD game (in the last column on the right) doesn't appear in any of the other Monster Maker-licensed titles, and none of the characters from the other games appear in the TGCD game.  I'm not even sure if characters from the source material appear in the TGCD game at all, either; note how the characters shown on the boxes for some of Sofel's NES/GB/SNES Monster Maker games also appear on the guidebooks, but the girl who's the main character in the TGCD game does not.

Monster Maker fanpage (main page link): old version: http://homepage3.nifty.com/muroto/mm/mmold/mm.htm ; new version: http://homepage3.nifty.com/muroto/mm/mmold/mm.htm  There isn't much on the site, but it was kind of interesting anyway.

More general Monster Maker (not for the TGCD games) info can be found on the JP Wikipedia page for it: http://translate.google.com/translate?depth=1&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%25E3%2583%25A2%25E3%2583%25B3%25E3%2582%25B9%25E3%2582%25BF%25E3%2583%25BC%25E3%2583%25A1%25E3%2583%25BC%25E3%2582%25AB%25E3%2583%25BC#.E3.82.B3.E3.83.B3.E3.83.94.E3.83.A5.E3.83.BC.E3.82.BF.E3.82.B2.E3.83.BC.E3.83.A0 or in Japanese http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/モンスターメーカー

http://monstermaker.jp/ - Official site for the cardgame; it apparently still exists, in some level.  http://monstermaker.jp/mmfc/index.htm Note how the characters here...

Sofel games: http://www.gamefaqs.com/gameboy/569811-monster-maker-2/images/box-8026 http://www.gamefaqs.com/gameboy/569813-monster-maker-barcode-saga/images/box-6897 http://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/570619-monster-maker-7-tsu-no-hihou/images/box-9951 http://www.gamefaqs.com/snes/564317-monster-maker-iii-hikari-no-majutsushi/images/box-5156/box-5156http://www.gamefaqs.com/snes/571169-monster-maker-kids/images/box-9955
Are the same ones in the Sofel console games, linked here.

NEC's game, however, while it also uses the license, seems to be an entirely original title, with a new lead character, Lia, and its own story.  So why is it licensed at all?  Just to get more sales?  Did they use monsters from the series?  I would think they did that, at least.  Of course, Monster Maker (TGCD)'s main character is great; the problem is that this means that none of the other games are any help at all with that stupid "to be continued" ending since they are entirely unrelated as far as story and characters are concerned.

... Or maybe the original Monster Maker character designs do make an appearance.  I see the mage girl in one of the screenshots on this Japanese blog post about Monster Maker, for instance: http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ja&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fameblo.jp%2Fmemolmemol%2Fentry-11574780098.html

Also, Lia (TGCD MM's MC, remember) has a cameo as a card in Monster Maker 4 Flash Card for the GBA, as seen here: http://userdisk.webry.biglobe.ne.jp/006/001/26/N000/000/014/124141654098516322502.jpg http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ja&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fmii5.at.webry.info%2F200910%2Farticle_7.html&act=url

Monster Maker, the TGCD game, also has a soundtrack CD... that'd be nice, the music is great of course.  Only 7 tracks, though? http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%83%A2%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%83%A1%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AB%E3%83%BCCDII-%E9%97%87%E3%81%AE%E7%AB%9C%E9%A8%8E%E5%A3%AB-%E3%82%B2%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0%E3%83%BB%E3%83%9F%E3%83%A5%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B8%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF/dp/B00005MST5


More searching for stuff about Monster Maker 2 in Japanese ("モンスターメーカー 闇の竜騎士") leads to more blog/article stuff about how buggy Monster Maker is (many consider it a 'kusoge' as a result, which is understandable really), and how the sequel wasn't finished and it has no ending.  If I see anything more with real info about the sequel, I'll post more.  This review of the game is a bit more positive, but still is critical overall.  It mentions the cancellation of the sequel as well.  Etc.


On an entirely unrelated note, the same guy behind Monster Maker TGCD apparently was also involved in Strider's much-delayed TGCD port, and also was working on a version of Wardner as well... huh, didn't know about that one.  http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ja&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fja.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2F%25E5%25A4%259A%25E9%2583%25A8%25E7%2594%25B0%25E4%25BF%258A%25E9%259B%2584 The article claims that TG16 (PCE) Wardner was complete but cancelled because of... I don't know what, machine translation isn't good.  Not good enough maybe?  I have the Genesis version of Wardner, seems like a fairly graphically simple game... fun, though.

[Black Tiger]

Be careful when you get close to the end of the game. There is an area with a (purple?) tower or three to clear. If there are more than one, I think you have to finish the critical one first. The game has a bug, so that if you don't clear that tower in a single trip, you never can. So if you get there, try not to save if you can't finish it in one go.

If you stay at an Inn enough times, the owner will let you have the treasure in the locked room.

There are hidden staircases (and chests?) all over the game. Make sure to walk behind everything you can.

[SamIAm]

「後編のCG、音声、スクリプトはほぼ出来上がったが、PCエンジン用なので他機種で出すには完全作り直しになるので出せなかった」

"The CG, voice recording, and the script for the second game were more-or-less done, but they were done for the PC Engine, and moving the game to another system would have meant doing everything over again." he said.


I posted about this before, actually.
http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=9456.msg266168#msg266168

[A Black Falcon]

Be careful when you get close to the end of the game. There is an area with a (purple?) tower or three to clear. If there are more than one, I think you have to finish the critical one first. The game has a bug, so that if you don't clear that tower in a single trip, you never can. So if you get there, try not to save if you can't finish it in one go.

I've heard about that, so I'll definitely watch out for it.

If you stay at an Inn enough times, the owner will let you have the treasure in the locked room.

Ah, so that's how that works?  I've seen the chests in locked rooms, but didn't know if you could get them.  Interesting.

There are hidden staircases (and chests?) all over the game. Make sure to walk behind everything you can.

It's kind of annoying when games do that kind of thing with no hint at all that something might be there...

「後編のCG、音声、スクリプトはほぼ出来上がったが、PCエンジン用なので他機種で出すには完全作り直しになるので出せなかった」

"The CG, voice recording, and the script for the second game were more-or-less done, but they were done for the PC Engine, and moving the game to another system would have meant doing everything over again." he said.

That's much more understandable, yeah.  I wonder when the game was cancelled... is there anything about when it happened?  I mean, NEC was releasing TCD games on a regular basis up until early '97.  Even with an extended development time, I'd think that several years would be enough to finish the game... the first game was delayed two years, but still probably wasn't in development for longer than that.  So maybe it was canned before then, even though NEC was still supporting the system?  Too bad, paticularly if they could have released a not-buggy sequel.

Also, if it was that far along, it's too bad that none of that stuff that was finished has ever leaked.

I posted about this before, actually.
http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=9456.msg266168#msg266168

Yeah, I noticed that, but it deserves its own thread... and also, I guess the Japanese wikipedia stuff is all that there is about what happened to the game?  Ah well... it'd be cool if there was more somewhere.