The Pokemon Clone Catastrophe of Y2K

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  • čas přidán 19. 06. 2024
  • The Y2K bug that destroyed civilization wasn't the only catastrophic event in the year 2000.
    00:00 Intro
    03:40 Animorphs
    09:27 Mobile Phone Beast Telefang
    15:04 Fighting Foodons
    20:38 Robopon
    23:50 Outro
    DYKG
    • Pokemon Plagiarism - D...
    MerryBytes
    / @merrybytes
    VGHistory
    / @historyofvideogames
  • Hry

Komentáře • 789

  • @barkbork7528
    @barkbork7528 Před rokem +1193

    Fighting foodons feels like a parody of Pokemon you'd see for 20 seconds in a different show

    • @cannon9009
      @cannon9009 Před rokem +117

      Fighting Foodons is the Simpsons reference of Pokémon clones.

    • @pennysanchez7656
      @pennysanchez7656 Před rokem +7

      Um, wasn't that the whole point?

    • @WhinyB
      @WhinyB Před rokem +19

      That show felt a bit like a dream. I think about it from time to time and watch the 4Kids opening with my brother

    • @Tethloach1
      @Tethloach1 Před rokem +6

      Saturday morning cartoons in the 2000s

    • @ultraslang
      @ultraslang Před rokem +7

      I actually remember fighting foodons cos the theme song stuck in my head after hearing it.

  • @anthonyrelicanthony6452
    @anthonyrelicanthony6452 Před rokem +368

    animorphs is a story about child soldiers and the horrors of war

    • @ochuspin
      @ochuspin Před rokem +66

      So it’s basically metal gear solid

    • @vwts
      @vwts Před rokem +36

      Animal war. Animal war never changes

    • @SECONDQUEST
      @SECONDQUEST Před rokem +11

      ​@@vwtsAnimal war. Animal war never changes. In the year 1996, my father, serving in the animal army, wondered when he’d get to go home to his mom and the brother he’d rarely seen. He got his wish when the US ended World War III by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

    • @nicoyosh8159
      @nicoyosh8159 Před rokem +31

      I can't believe this comment isn't actually joking, it's the real deal. Animorphs is actually about that.

    • @murrfeeling
      @murrfeeling Před rokem

      @@ochuspin so basically Naruto

  • @HeftyDan
    @HeftyDan Před rokem +869

    I know kids who played Robopon. It was literally a playground debate and I remember getting pissed at recess cause there were like 3 kids who swore it was better than Pokémon because "Robots are cooler than turtles"
    F**k you Jason, Nick, and Matthew. I have NOT forgotten
    Edit - The more I watch the video, the more I can't believe that was an actual argument we had. I'm honestly shocked there was even 1 kid who had Robopon, let alone 3

    • @DavidVassleofYeshua
      @DavidVassleofYeshua Před rokem +106

      There are many therapists out there who would love to know more.

    • @beekeeper9540
      @beekeeper9540 Před rokem +66

      Well dragons are cooler than robots, so...

    • @Necron1999
      @Necron1999 Před rokem +14

      Haha I was going to comment and see if anyone had heard about Robopon. I really enjoyed it as a kid. Sure, I liked Pokémon better, but it was still cool. (Even if I didn’t understand the type match-ups whatsoever, lol).

    • @rabbitsdenn
      @rabbitsdenn Před rokem +30

      I played a bootleg “Pokémon” game on an emulator website when I was a kid called “Pokémon sun” and it was just robopon but if you lost the game crashed

    • @rabbitsdenn
      @rabbitsdenn Před rokem +7

      But idk they both have their charm

  • @oleandersilkwingleafwing8885

    Animorphs is the Brave Little Toaster of book series. It looks like a typical kids series to keep your elementary schoolers entertained for an hour, but if you actually read it you’ll find a truckload of insane creative decisions and nightmare fuel that leaves you wondering who in their right mind was writing it.

    • @TazmilyGum
      @TazmilyGum Před rokem +43

      Brave Little Toaster fucked me up as a kid ngl

    • @TransGothTalia
      @TransGothTalia Před rokem +64

      And honestly, that's part of why it was such a good series. Because it's not afraid to touch darker topics, it was able to ask questions and make examinations and observations a lot of children's media still can't, and I firmly believe that because of that those kids that grew up reading the books are better people for it.

    • @benoitbrown9400
      @benoitbrown9400 Před rokem +34

      The first half of animorphs was written by Katherine and her husband, the second half was mostly written by ghostwriters under Katherine's direction. I love always loved her rule for writing the series: write yourself in to a corner and then ask "how would each of the kids solve this problem".

    • @rivetsquid8887
      @rivetsquid8887 Před rokem +20

      Yesss, I'm actually reading the series for my gf who grew up a huge fan of them rn and wow. The amount of disembowlment, genocide, and resulting ptsd is insane.
      I cannot believe I never picked them up in the 90s, but then I don't know I'd have believed any descriptions of it had I been told.

    • @SECONDQUEST
      @SECONDQUEST Před rokem +17

      Dude the author's other series includes a pregnant lady who goes through hyper sleep and ends up with an eyeless baby which murder powers.

  • @RayOfTruth
    @RayOfTruth Před rokem +93

    4Kids often got rights to anime in bundles rather than individually.
    That's also how they got stuck dubbing One Piece.

  • @noireisbest6786
    @noireisbest6786 Před rokem +163

    Fighting Foodons: That one show you can never talk about in public without most people assuming you were either having a serious nightmare or on a ton of drugs.

  • @Shiny_Sandshrew
    @Shiny_Sandshrew Před 8 měsíci +48

    I don't know why, but somehow Pokemon saying their names seems fine, but the Fighting Foodons saying their names like "BEEF STEAK" just seems so ridiculously hilarious

    • @gustyko8668
      @gustyko8668 Před 6 měsíci +6

      I'm not sure about this, but probably that might have been the localizers fault (?)....... I don't know, could be 🤷

  • @vaiyt
    @vaiyt Před rokem +209

    Telefang was a very Japanese thing. Not only flip phones were extremely popular there, appearing in all kinds of pop culture series including Pokémon itself (what did you think the PokéGear was?), they stood up against smartphones a lot longer there due to incorporating some of their innovations (Japan had flip phones with apps, touch screens and enough memory to access the internet and run games)

    • @richardadamson1438
      @richardadamson1438 Před rokem +14

      It's still fun though. I played a fan translated version of the first game and I really enjoyed it.

    • @user-burner
      @user-burner Před rokem +4

      ​@@richardadamson1438I think I might have played it a long time ago, but for some reason it was labeled as pokemon yellow??? Probably the same translation.

    • @elneco4654
      @elneco4654 Před rokem +3

      Not only thay, Crystal later had mobile phone options planned.

    • @ab-gail
      @ab-gail Před rokem

      Cool

    • @richardadamson1438
      @richardadamson1438 Před rokem +5

      @@user-burner there was a horrible translation called pokemon diamond and jade so that might be at least close to what you played.

  • @samuelsolomon7330
    @samuelsolomon7330 Před rokem +102

    The lack of door sprites is bad, but an rpg game using a password system is inexcusable.
    Somehow it was always the licensed games that cheaped out and forced you to use passwords instead of giving you a battery to save. Nick games on GBA always did this.

  • @TheFatestPat
    @TheFatestPat Před rokem +365

    It's a shame that Animorphs game turned out so badly. From what I understand the developers wanted to do a lot more with it, but the company that hired them just took the alpha build and threw it out the door.

    • @ChicagoMel23
      @ChicagoMel23 Před rokem +11

      I didn’t know that

    • @ShermTank7272
      @ShermTank7272 Před rokem +27

      This seems like an interesting story. Got a source? I'm interested to read up more on it

    • @doopness785
      @doopness785 Před rokem +13

      Makes sense seeing how short that game is

    • @kemix1006
      @kemix1006 Před rokem +14

      Sounds like Ubisoft in general, even to this day.

    • @mattalan6618
      @mattalan6618 Před rokem +13

      @@doopness785 i played it on my VBA emulator the other day cause i wanted to check it out even though i knew how bad it was. i beat the game without using Genie codes in a little under an hour

  • @Skipatronic
    @Skipatronic Před rokem +233

    If you wanna get technical, Megami Tensei was one of the first monster capturing game and also Dragon Quest had monster capturing mechanics in 1992 with Dragon Quest V

    • @fidelgarcia2224
      @fidelgarcia2224 Před rokem +27

      Yea but I think he means like the reason these were made was to rise the Pokémon wave

    • @uhjjju7778
      @uhjjju7778 Před rokem +12

      Not sure if that one counts, but the spinoff dragon warrior monsters was definitely made as a "pokemon clone". But the breeding is unique and i enjoyed it

    • @Skipatronic
      @Skipatronic Před rokem +8

      @@uhjjju7778DQ Monsters > Pokémon

    • @Anon_Spartan
      @Anon_Spartan Před rokem +50

      I love how SMT was actually about beating up and enslaving Satan and pals, but that's what Pokemon got blamed for. Atlus got away with the perfect crime

    • @mosquitopyjamas9048
      @mosquitopyjamas9048 Před rokem

      @@uhjjju7778 I remember really liking that game a lot

  • @mekelius
    @mekelius Před rokem +73

    The telefang designs look so appealing. I'd probably have been into that as a kid. Clearly the artists put a lot of effort into their weird clone game.

  • @MoonSarito
    @MoonSarito Před rokem +94

    Nowadays it's kind of rare to see games taking chances in this genre, we still have some that are really fun like Temtem, Monster Hunter Stories 2, Yokai Watch 4 and Shin Megami Tensei but it's definitely much rarer to see than it used to be .

    • @MrEdes7
      @MrEdes7 Před rokem +20

      SMT is much older than pokemon, but they also did a pokemon ripoff called devil children, or demikids in america. Idk why they thought making a game about children summoning demons until they fight satan would be a hit in America though.

    • @PkmnTrainerAbram
      @PkmnTrainerAbram Před rokem +11

      ...No, it isn't. With the coming of social media and how Pokemon dropped the ball in recent years there's been an interest in fans wanting to branch out and try other series.
      Nexomon got over a million downloads on mobile way back in. 2016, which was enough to spawn a sequel for consoles, dlc, a port of the original game, and a third game in the series is in the works.
      Coromon was released for Steam/Switch and is planning a mobile release, with dlc for more monsters and content. The dev wants to turn it into a series.
      Monster Crown was released and has a Kickstarter for a tcg half funded in 3 days.
      Monster Sanctuary was released and the devs behind it are releasing a new monster tamer IP.
      Beehive Studios, the dev team behind Pokemon Zenoverse is releasing Lumentale next year.
      Cassette Beasts is due to launch this year.
      Digimon is seeing a revival in the west with new games, ports of old ones, and it's tcg being number 3 on the market as of now for 3 years. The. English dub for the 2020 anime reboot is due in a few months.
      Monster Rancher got the first two games ported to Switch and got a new game last year.
      Dragon Quest Treasures just released last year.
      Then there's all the other Mon tamers tbr like ReLegends, Essentures, Palworld, Dokivi, and more. The genre is getting more attention than it ever has.

  • @jonothanthrace1530
    @jonothanthrace1530 Před rokem +35

    As an 80s kid, I constantly mistake Fighting Foodons for Food Fighters, which was a bizarre action figure line that was basically "What if junk food sprouted arms, legs and faces and had guns?"

  • @Tylerr_Creative
    @Tylerr_Creative Před rokem +49

    To summarize Animorphs basically multiple children were forced into a intense and life scarring war between slugs that hold humans hostage in their own bodies and deer people. They talk about themes of genocide, judging a creature based on its race, and the battle keeping your humanitiy both as an animal or as a human doing fucked up shit. I'd recommend you check it out considering how weirdly real they make some bits. Plus theres books where the Hawk Tobias murders Hitler, the black girl of the group Cassie attacks two guys who call her the N Word as a Polar Bear, and other goofy shit.

    • @HeftyDan
      @HeftyDan Před rokem

      Is this a copy pasta or a joke or are you being deadass?

    • @mothgirl0512
      @mothgirl0512 Před rokem +4

      @@HeftyDan Ive never read animorphs but ive heard quite a bit about it from others and i am willing to bet all of this is true

    • @timfortune9
      @timfortune9 Před 3 měsíci +3

      Those weird bits about Cassie and Tobias actually happen in the same book, but point still stands.
      As there's another where it's revealed that broccoli is actually an alien species, that the alien artifact held in Area 51 is actually a toilet, and my favorite in "Being adult, but still being for kids", from the book "Visser" where Visser Three gets a former Yeerk controlled human to testify in an alien court by "promising him a bottle" (exact words).

  • @roycarthatch7148
    @roycarthatch7148 Před rokem +41

    Fighting foodons theme song is seared into my brain for all eternity

    • @pennysanchez7656
      @pennysanchez7656 Před rokem +3

      The Japanese opening was actually awesome!

    • @Klonoahedgehog
      @Klonoahedgehog Před rokem +4

      I never watchd the show myself but the opening played at the beginning of a Yugioh DVD i had as a kid so it's been stuck in my mind for years.

    • @richardadamson1438
      @richardadamson1438 Před rokem +1

      ​@@Klonoahedgehog I did, but I don't really remember the show. Also, I tried to watch the show years later but I couldn't get past the first episode.

    • @autobotstarscream765
      @autobotstarscream765 Před 4 dny

      ​@@KlonoahedgehogAnd now Yu-Gi-Oh! has evolved its own Hungry Burger into an entire Fighting Foodons archetype (Nouvelles). 😂

  • @jockohomosexual
    @jockohomosexual Před rokem +209

    By far the most interesting thing about the Animorphs game was the team that worked on it - I'm sure you haven't heard of Grady Sain, one of the lead designers hired for it, but look up his utterly surreal and nightmarish "Banjo Gyro" shorts and you'll get it. That team was one of the weirdest artsiest people in gaming and it's insane that they got hired to do a boring Pokemon knockoff. They worked with the Church Of The Subgenius, Negativland, Tony Fucking Hawk, The Jesus Lizard, Boredoms, it''s insane. Real rabbit hole if you're a fan of artsy punk music like myself.

    • @plexureiscool
      @plexureiscool Před rokem +4

      what was their involvement with negativland exactly? love that band.

    • @jockohomosexual
      @jockohomosexual Před rokem +4

      @@plexureiscool I think it was mostly the late Don Joyce, who iirc guest starred on his short Duelin Firemen.

  • @Jaice00
    @Jaice00 Před rokem +180

    Speaking of Pokemon clones localized by 4kids, there was also Dinosaur King which was made by Sega. It was originally an arcade game but it also got a DS game that is literally just Pokemon. However the game takes the RPS aspect of Pokemon a little too literally and it's battle are just RPS against a computer.

    • @fulmgusgrukini4727
      @fulmgusgrukini4727 Před rokem +5

      can you elaborate on that dinosaur king game part lol, Im curious as to how a pure rps v cpu experience would look like

    • @vvv5892
      @vvv5892 Před rokem +2

      NO FUCKING WAY!!
      I HAW THIS GAME🤣🤣

    • @Jaice00
      @Jaice00 Před rokem +14

      @@fulmgusgrukini4727 If you win RPS you deal damage, if you tie both players deal damage and if you lose only you take damage. In the early game the AI will literally tell you what move it will make but later on they just stop telling you and you have to just get lucky.

    • @GamingintheAM0801
      @GamingintheAM0801 Před rokem +18

      Honestly, Dinosaur King felt more like it was ripping off Digimon than Pokémon.

    • @creepypato3984
      @creepypato3984 Před rokem +7

      @@fulmgusgrukini4727 Ever played the Mesuking minigame in Yakuza Kiwami 1? Memories are fuzzy, but basically and as I remember it, each dinosaur had one preferred move from Rock / Paper / Scizzors. You would somehow adquire new dinosaurs with different preferred moves, HP and potencies.
      It was kinda fun in a "what the hell am I playing" novelty kinda way.

  • @theotherjared9824
    @theotherjared9824 Před rokem +98

    Telefang is half sliding into monster DMs and half listening to your employee's excuses about being late for work.

  • @Dragonfire511
    @Dragonfire511 Před rokem +43

    Telefang also had a friendship and monster personality mechanic. The personality mechanic dictated that a Denjuu could get late into battle, attack on itself, etc.
    And also, the music was composed by the same composer aa Castlevania I NES.

  • @MokyCho
    @MokyCho Před rokem +16

    Atlus was doing it before Game Freak lol

  • @abyssalundyne2803
    @abyssalundyne2803 Před rokem +40

    Given what Pokemon has become without healthy competition, I wish that a few of these had thrived just so that there was something to force them to do better, and also add more variety for those of us who love Monster Collection Games. I feel like Telefang could've become something truly delightful if they'd gotten a chance to incorporate some modern smartphone tech into the gameplay.

    • @rolboo6158
      @rolboo6158 Před 9 měsíci +9

      Wasn't Yokai Watch like, actual Pokemon competition? Like, they fell but they had an opportunity

    • @houraisheperd9721
      @houraisheperd9721 Před 9 měsíci +5

      For an insignificant amount of time and only in a single country. It was powerful enough to make the rotom dex and the anime section of Alola steal its school premise, but that’s it.

  • @DrCoeloCephalo
    @DrCoeloCephalo Před rokem +18

    Pretty sneaky using Dragon Quest Monsters in the thumbnail when a ton of Pokemon's development and monster designs drew inspiration from Dragon Quest games like DQ5 which had monster collecting before Pokemon.

    • @PkmnTrainerAbram
      @PkmnTrainerAbram Před rokem +2

      Pretty much yeah. The devs even said the whole link cable trading mechanic was added because one of them wished they could do so playing DQ back in the day and wishing his friend could have traded him a rare item he was trying to get in his own file.

  • @TheWrathAbove
    @TheWrathAbove Před rokem +55

    The best thing to come out of the Animorphs game is the AGDQ 2016 run of it. Genuinely one of the funniest GDQ runs I've ever seen.

    • @realsgtstupid
      @realsgtstupid Před rokem +4

      You sure? I thought GDQ banned comedy years ago.
      Jokes aside you've piqued my interest.

    • @TheWrathAbove
      @TheWrathAbove Před rokem +4

      @@realsgtstupid Oh, actually upon checking I was thinking of the 2016 run, and edited my comment to reflect that. Tbh I actually haven't watched any GDQ since 2017 so I'm not sure why I thought the 2020 run was what I was thinking of.

    • @houraisheperd9721
      @houraisheperd9721 Před rokem +7

      That run was so heavily cursed. It’s my favourite GDQ run ever, and up there with some of my favourite Big Bad Gameathon runs.

    • @vaiyt
      @vaiyt Před rokem +1

      Lion nooooo 😂

    • @bortzanator3018
      @bortzanator3018 Před rokem +6

      "I dropped out of college for this"

  • @silverhammerman7489
    @silverhammerman7489 Před rokem +5

    "The name is Clawdia"
    of course it is

  • @ochuspin
    @ochuspin Před rokem +59

    Pokemania was absolutely insane back then, basically every company wanted to get on the money train without putting nearly as much effort into actually making it as good as Pokémon

    • @borby4584
      @borby4584 Před rokem +15

      It’s what happens when you throw your hat in the ring, without understand how the game works.
      They just see “150 monsters! Collect them all!”, and think that’s all that they need, ignoring all the clockwork and magic behind that premise

    • @estherstreet4582
      @estherstreet4582 Před rokem +9

      It's funny how simple the concept of a monster catching game is given how many studios have attempted it and failed.

    • @fiammaorsmth9840
      @fiammaorsmth9840 Před rokem +2

      Sounds like the live-service craze of today.

  • @AlonzoTompkins
    @AlonzoTompkins Před rokem +28

    Didn’t know Animorphs had a Pokémon clone. That actually is a good idea. Too bad the rest of the game isn’t.

  • @U.F.O
    @U.F.O Před rokem +13

    10:22 So, it's just Digimon World, then? Because that game starts with the player being transported to the Digital World where digimon live, and being given a partner to raise by Jijimon, who asks you to help bring back all of the digimon who lost themselves and fled File City.

    • @GamingintheAM0801
      @GamingintheAM0801 Před rokem +3

      I was about to say. The game plays nothing like Digimon World, but the premise is exactly the same.

  • @leont6813
    @leont6813 Před rokem +24

    In Telefang the monsters appear anywhere that isn't close to a house, not necessarily inside the tall grass. Pretty much how random encounters in other rpgs work.
    Btw! Signal doesn't affect anything in the game actually 😂 the monsters take more or less time to arrive depending on WHERE you befriended them

  • @weezeranditsweezy8629
    @weezeranditsweezy8629 Před rokem +17

    One of the most memorable pieces of media I had as a kid was the FoxBox (what 4Kids originally was) promotional CD, and the only thing I remember from it vividly was loving the Fighting Foodons intro on there. Just the intro. I never saw it ever being played on TV for some reason. My friends loved the intro too. We loved it so much that we saw a Fighting Foodons episode once somehow and it blew our minds. Never watched it again though. Funny enough, as a lifelong fan of Pokémon I never knew it was a Pokémon clone.
    I don’t get it as an adult relistening to it but that intro by itself was so good as a kid I’ve always remembered it. You just had to be there I guess.

  • @thecosmic8248
    @thecosmic8248 Před rokem +43

    Dude really came out here and said he didn’t read the most insane book series from the 90’s ever. A kid becomes a bird forever and they commit several war crimes. And on the same note of forever bird transformation they forced turn a kid into a rat and left him on a trash island to die.

  • @The_Great_Butler
    @The_Great_Butler Před rokem +23

    Speaking on RoboPon's developers:
    Red Entertainment would later team up with Nintendo SPD's Hitoshi Yamagami (A producer for Intelligent Systems, Game Freak, and Monolith Soft, notable for working on Fire Emblem, Advance Wars, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, and Xenoblade Chronicles), to make Fossil Fighters, which in my opinion and many others is a really good monster collector game.
    As for Hudson Soft, they have a weird habit of making one game and then making a clone of that game under a different IP. Case in point, Hudson Soft worked on both the Mario Party series and Sonic Shuffle.
    Atlus is, well, Atlus. SMT, Persona, and a whole bunch of beloved RPGs fill their catalogue (and the 3DS eshop). If you own an RPG on the 3DS, there is a solid chance it was made by Atlus. Owned by SEGA.
    To my knowledge, they all have worked with and held good relations with Nintendo. Strange world, huh?

    • @cannon9009
      @cannon9009 Před rokem +9

      To be honest, Nintendo and SEGA have been on good terms ever since SEGA quit trying to make game consoles. Seeing a SEGA company working with Nintendo isn't really a big surprise since SEGA themselves have been buddy buddy with Nintendo since the Gamecube/GBA.

    • @The_Great_Butler
      @The_Great_Butler Před rokem +4

      @@cannon9009 I forgot to mention that SEGA didn't own Atlus at the time, but SEGA and Nintendo have indeed been on good terms for quite a while now. Still waiting on the next Summer/Winter Games crossover.

    • @bluetimesskyrii
      @bluetimesskyrii Před rokem +4

      Holy shit, RED was behind Robopon and IS helped with Fossil Fighters' development?! That's honestly incredible.
      But now I'm holding out hope in vain for a Fossil Fighters revival, again...

    • @The_Great_Butler
      @The_Great_Butler Před rokem +4

      @@bluetimesskyrii The second game, Fossil Fighters Champions, is still a solid game with some cool additions. The third game, Frontiers, is... different.

    • @bluetimesskyrii
      @bluetimesskyrii Před rokem +3

      @@The_Great_Butler Yeah, Frontiers killed any hope for this series. Huge shame, because I loved the original game and Champions. I'm super high on copium for Fossil Fighters but maybe a remake of the first two games or a complete reboot separate from Frontiers could save it..

  • @polvocorrupto
    @polvocorrupto Před rokem +14

    Did you know that Robopon 2 hit different because it was done by team Quintet under Red Entertainment's wing? Not only that: Quintet infused Robopon 2 with direct inspiration and even core elements from their SNES game called Robotrek (Slapstick in JP), which ironically Gamefreak blatantly cloned Robotrek in order to create Pokémon.
    Also, because of this, Robopon 2's development is a deepdive into the rabbit hole of sorts. MagicMush thinks that Nintendo did nothing against them, but in fact they did: they nintendo-ninja'd Quintet in the yakuza way, to the point of even the lead dev and designer Tomoyoshi Miyazaki going missing.

    • @saulwoolsey9801
      @saulwoolsey9801 Před 4 měsíci

      Cool to know, that would explain 2s amazing emotional theme and all the weird stuff like the Alien love story and sadistic circus ring leader kappa exploitation

  • @CreeperSteve
    @CreeperSteve Před rokem +6

    a couple of things about these games that i think is interesting:
    •fighting foodons was actually originally a manga (still very heavily borrowing from pokemon) a whole year before the gbc games. there’s also a game for bandai’s wonderswan, a handheld actually developed by gunpei yokoi after he left nintendo.
    •limited edition copies of telefang contain a special accessory called the “power antenna.” a functionally identical accessory called the “bug sensor” was made for another one of smilesoft’s pokemon clones, network adventure bugsite, and an updated power antenna for the gba was made for telefang 2. all of them are simply lights that plug into the link cable port and flash when you get a call (or use the ingame “bug sensor” in bugsite). there were even plastic shrouds for the original antenna that looked like specific denjuu, and the 2nd version had stickers in a manga magazine where a telefang manga was published (and also the fighting foodons AND robopon manga, coincidentally).
    •the original robopon games were some of the only original game boy games to have infrared INSIDE the cartridge. through a feature called “gb kiss” (a feature mostly seen in hudson soft games that even allowed the game boy to connect to the internet using a pc, including the japanese version of the pokemon tcg game), you could do various random things, such as upgrading a robopon’s stats or open a chest in the overworld by pointing a tv or vcr remote at the game boy cartridge. that’s it.

  • @nateo3040
    @nateo3040 Před rokem +11

    "Translate these runes from the moon" killed me 😂

  • @Ziggsters1515
    @Ziggsters1515 Před rokem +50

    I loved robopon as a kid, probably because of how much of a ripoff it was down to the red cart( I had Pokemon red). unfortunately it is one of those carts that had a battery(for base building and other timed stuff) which means my copy is p well unplayable now that the battery is dead :(

    • @allmight9840
      @allmight9840 Před rokem +18

      Run that ROM brother

    • @brogamin179
      @brogamin179 Před rokem +9

      Never too late to learn how to replace those batteries, it's a handy little skill to have.

    • @Just.Kidding
      @Just.Kidding Před rokem +10

      Those batteries are absolutely replaceable. It's not hard to learn how, either! :)

  • @passway-qp2et
    @passway-qp2et Před rokem +161

    I ❤ MAGICMUSH

  • @comixproviderftw_02
    @comixproviderftw_02 Před rokem +16

    Fighting Foodon’s was definitely someone’s furry awakening

  • @cripplingdepression8927
    @cripplingdepression8927 Před rokem +17

    Love your videos mate, keep up the great work ♥️

  • @bonk94
    @bonk94 Před rokem +2

    Just found this channel and I'm loving what I'm seeing. Gonna go back and binge. You've earned yourself a new subscriber, Mr. Mush.

  • @DrTeeth-ss1ek
    @DrTeeth-ss1ek Před rokem +7

    Pokémon may be in part based on bug catching, but it’s also based on kaiju media, very specially the capsule monsters from the Ultraman franchise, I always wished Ultraman had a Pokémon clone because Ultraseven is basically already a Pokémon trainer lol, would have worked well especially with Ultraman having such an iconic kaiju roster in Japan

    • @elneco4654
      @elneco4654 Před rokem +2

      Doesn't Ultraman have a Monster Rancher game now? Pretty recent even.

  • @valentindelasierra7517
    @valentindelasierra7517 Před rokem +30

    Laughed when the "that was not a moan of pain"

    • @comixproviderftw_02
      @comixproviderftw_02 Před rokem +5

      *T H A T W A S N O T A M O A N O F P A I N*
      Quote of the year 😂

  • @oleandersilkwingleafwing8885

    You need to play Yo-Kai Watch for the 3DS, it has solid gameplay for a Pokémon clone but the story is utterly baffling on so many levels. The final boss is a giant squid who’s also a politician, named Chairman McKraken (if that gives you an idea of the tone)

  • @senhorlol8139
    @senhorlol8139 Před rokem +6

    I love this guy.
    I have been binge watching his videos like a week ago.
    God, I need to go outside

  • @Justinjaro
    @Justinjaro Před rokem +10

    Anyone else play Telefang a lot as a kid but only get 2 hours in before the rom crapped out and you had to restart? Took me a while as a kid to realize that wasn't normal haha. Pretty sure my pirated Pokemon Jade and Diamond from the Philippines had no save batteries.

    • @Sherkel
      @Sherkel Před rokem

      Same experience here. It's the way I discovered savestates. :D

  • @ToniaGlitched
    @ToniaGlitched Před rokem +7

    it's even funny sometimes how many Pokémon clones are out there and we'll never know about, I mean, imo nowadays is when they're most coming out tbh, there are many pokemon clones out on Steam, and a big chunk of them seems actually good
    and stinky ape lavender town on the end really got me

  • @KiraSlith
    @KiraSlith Před rokem +5

    Fighting Foodons, Up to this point I chalked all the promos I saw for it up to a childhood pseudo-acid trip. I'm genuinely shocked to find out it was real.

  • @danielcamiloromeromontano4856

    you got an amazing future on this platform keep it up

  • @JBob08
    @JBob08 Před rokem

    Recently found you on my recommended and have really been enjoying your vids.

  • @_Majunior
    @_Majunior Před rokem

    This was a really interesting video. I'm surprised I haven't seen more of this topic

  • @DolanOk
    @DolanOk Před rokem

    Love the vid man, love to see you upload! Makes my day!

  • @a.j2221
    @a.j2221 Před rokem +7

    Nice to see I'm not the only one who thinks the Fighting Foodons/Bistro Recipe designs genuinely look pretty rad. Anime was insane though, I couldn't get into it at all and that's saying something. Would be nice if they found the full series in Japanese.

  • @Craig-gq9wd
    @Craig-gq9wd Před rokem

    Favorite new channel. Love the weird & niche stuff you talk about.

  • @ferringsylveon219
    @ferringsylveon219 Před 9 měsíci +2

    The pink cat in Fighting Foodons is pretty adorable.

  • @8instantramen
    @8instantramen Před rokem

    good chuckle, following your channel now

  • @TransGothTalia
    @TransGothTalia Před rokem +11

    For anyone curious, Animorphs is so much more than aliens and kids who turn into animals. It's a deep look at trauma, the ethics of war, gray morality, racism, slavery, consciousness, and so much more. It is absolutely brutal, bloody, and gory, but it never glorifies it. One of the main themes of the series is how there is no such thing as a good war, even when war is necessary, and even in a war with a clear cut "good side" and a "bad side" the good guys do bad things and some of the bad guys are good people who have been brainwashed and convinced they're fighting for the right side. There is an entire book focusing on the ethics of chemical warfare, and by the end of the series the Animorphs are war criminals by definition. There are hints of PTSD in these children, and they all cope differently. The series even examines ableism, on a few different occasions. In one occasion the ableism is aimed at a pair of gay Andalites (the "good guy" aliens that fight the same aliens the Animorphs are fighting and gave them their power), one of whom is missing his tail ( which is a symbol of honor for Andalites) and is allergic to the morphing technology which could heal him, while the other is dying of a disease that's clearly an AIDS allegory. This book also touches on homophobia as much as they were allowed to by Scholastic in the 90s. Then near the end of the series there is a whole storyline about the Auxillaries, which I won't spoil as it's vital to the final arc of the series. Admittedly, this storyline is a little controversial and for good reason, but I feel like it's done in a way that, like certain other actions of our heroes, is not meant to be celebrated but rather condemned as another example of the "good guys" doing the wrong thing and being flawed human beings (plus one hawkboy and one blue centaur alien).

    • @Sherkel
      @Sherkel Před rokem +3

      ...Holy moly.
      If I ever decide to give books a chance I'll be all over this.

    • @nicholaslienandjaja1815
      @nicholaslienandjaja1815 Před 8 měsíci

      Yet the video game is nothing but a Pokemon clone with animals. If you want a BETTER game that involved collecting and battling animals with superpowers (that are based on real life animals), try Animal Kaiser instead.

  • @darkjapan
    @darkjapan Před rokem +7

    23:10 There are actually two more Pokémon clones on the N64, Onegai Monsters and Zool : Legend of the Magical Beast Charmer. Onegai Monsters has over 500 monsters to train and send out to explore the world! Other than that, Shiren the Wanderer 2 is the best RPG on the N64.

  • @paz8723
    @paz8723 Před rokem +17

    Magi Nation is such an interesting case. It's not a blatant ripoff but it was clearly trying to cash in on the pokemon hype. I enjoyed my time with it but it was the most "its a game" of all the games

    • @Knifegash
      @Knifegash Před rokem +2

      I have to disagree with you on that point. While it is definitely derivative of Pokemon, the gameplay mechanics and battle structure are totally different, and blows Gen 1 and 2 out of the water in terms of intention. We all know what a nightmare Psychics are in Gen 1, and the laughable attempt at balance with steel and dark in Gen 2 is an illusion of depth. Magination had 4-on-4 battles with the actual ''trainer'' also having a turn to fill in as a support or offensive role. The puzzles have so much more thought put into them over something like RBYs Team Rocket slide tiles, and the story as a whole is just so much more fleshed out than even modern Pokemon entries. The closest one in tone would probably have to be Colloseum, a title often lauded as one of the best games in the franchise. The graphics are better, sprites more expressive, the music is more complex and atmospheric (though Pokemon has many undeniable standouts), I could just keep going off listing the differences when it would be easier to note that the only similarities between the titles is a collection aspect of minions, and travel from one region to others. I would honestly say that the only reason Magination didn't take off where rudimentary Pokemon did is the much more friendly design of monsters which made it appealing to kids when Magination was geared more for teens and grimdark edgelords, and Pokemon being backed by the monolithic Nintendo marketing team. But to call it ''a game of all times'' is a total misuse of the meme, it's a genuinely good RPG.

    • @ExtremeWreck
      @ExtremeWreck Před rokem

      Wasn't Magi Nation more inspired by Magic: The Gathering?

  • @astonersteve5310
    @astonersteve5310 Před rokem

    just found this gem of a channel. more please

  • @BaconMinion
    @BaconMinion Před rokem +7

    "the more obscure clones"
    >cites both Robopon and Telefang
    Yeah, okay there.

  • @noaht2005
    @noaht2005 Před rokem +5

    One of the strangest Pokemon clones I know of it is the Taiwanese Shui Hu Shen Shou (or Water Margin Sacred Beast) , a loose adaptation of the ancient chinese novel 'Water Margin', where the monsters are based on the book's 108 heroes. It's actually pretty good, at least according to my chinese speaking friends, and it has great graphics and decent music for a GBC game, even though it is very glitchy

  • @the_internet2
    @the_internet2 Před rokem +1

    Damn. Another great video by MagicMush, with barely 8.6k views after 18 hours. This may be the most under-appreciated yet high quality channel I've ever seen. Great video after great video, keep up the amazing work MagicMush!

  • @kchrules775
    @kchrules775 Před rokem +5

    I played roms of Pokémon back in the day before I had them for the game boy. I had Telefang (which was poorly translated and referred to as Pokémon Diamond as you said) and had fun playing it. Oddly nostalgic for it haha

  • @Maggi_jojo
    @Maggi_jojo Před 11 měsíci +1

    14:25 you just resolved one of the mysteries of my life, I always thought that Pokémon Diamond I played as a kid was in fact just a fever dream, never happened cuz it was so dang weird.
    I really thank you, it's silly but I always thought it wasn't real, but now I know it was :D

  • @fishyweeb4820
    @fishyweeb4820 Před rokem

    You're videos are amazing, jokes are hilarious, just fantastic.

  • @Handful-Of-Dust
    @Handful-Of-Dust Před rokem +7

    Awesome video, but, as many times as you brought up Atlus, I'm surprised you never brought up the Megami Tensei series. To me, it's a proto-Pokemon ingredient to what Tajiri would create. The focus was on Pokemon, I understand that, but this is nerd-me bringing it up. I was aware of the Megaten series as a kid, but didn't get to play any of them until 1996 with Revalations: Persona, but when Pokemon first came out, Megaten was the first thing that sprang to mind. Thanks for the video, keep up the great work!

    • @magicmush1998
      @magicmush1998  Před rokem +8

      I actually had an entire section scripted for Demikids, but I cut it from the video because it didn't play like Pokemon, it played like a kid friendly SMT

    • @Handful-Of-Dust
      @Handful-Of-Dust Před rokem +1

      @@magicmush1998 I forgot about Demikids, but yeah, you're right, it has a lighter subject matter, as opposed to the Megaten series in general. I love your video content, by the way! Your video topics are very funny and down-to-earth. Just thought I'd let you know. Keep up the great work!

    • @austinl5158
      @austinl5158 Před rokem +2

      Are the first SMT guys still worth playing or are they so outdated that it's actually tiring/annoying to play? I love the aesthetic but the gameplay looks a little shit.

    • @Handful-Of-Dust
      @Handful-Of-Dust Před rokem +4

      @@austinl5158 Nowadays, especially on SNES, it is moderately outdated. However, a fan-translation English patch for SMT 1 on PSOne was released not too long ago, and that version is streamlined in the best way! I recommend that for a starting point. While the earlier titles were revolutionary for what they introduced, its game mechanics are very archaic. Hope that helps.

    • @elneco4654
      @elneco4654 Před rokem +1

      @@austinl5158 You can try the translated GBA version, which brings in some improvements from later ports.

  • @parkisito5741
    @parkisito5741 Před rokem +12

    telefang looks charming as hell actually

  • @Buckle89
    @Buckle89 Před 11 měsíci +1

    I like your channel a lot man

  • @greenoftreeblackofblue6625

    My favorite artizmo, incredible artistic video.

  • @jamesshipley9164
    @jamesshipley9164 Před rokem +7

    My favorite at the time was Dark Arms on NeoGeo Pocket. It marketed itself as a monster collecting kinda game on the back of the box to cash in, but really wasn't. Instead it was a super dark Crystalis/Zelda kind of thing with a fantastic SNK art direction, killer 8bit soundtrack, and a neat capture system where you can steal souls to power your weapons. Fairly short game even for the time, but it was super memorable. I'd love to see a follow up, it'd look incredible as a modern third person 3D title.

  • @Jhoto
    @Jhoto Před rokem +6

    I was gifted the mobile fang game. It was a black cartridge and it was either under Pokémon Diamond or something to that effect. Mind you this was probably 2003. I was blown away. I wonder if I still have it around 💭

  • @lPsychoMax
    @lPsychoMax Před rokem +8

    Tbh I loved telefang. I nearly completed it despite coming into it thinking it was pokemon diamond and jade (yeah the bootlegs) but there was an emulation problem.
    The game refused to save past a certain point. Meaning I got to the end and just before the final 2-3 bosses, the game ignores any save and resets back to where you were. One time it literally wiped my save data. Granted it was a bootleg but it was the only way to play it in english at the time and I loved it.
    It was also my first bootleg I ever tried, so it was cool to see.

    • @nicholaslienandjaja1815
      @nicholaslienandjaja1815 Před 8 měsíci

      Also, the president of the company that made Telefang was arrested for....child prostitution? Wow, that became dark all of a sudden.

  • @derekfreedman5667
    @derekfreedman5667 Před rokem

    late af but man i love your vids. def keep it up!

  • @arempy5836
    @arempy5836 Před rokem +7

    The Fighting Foodons opening unlocked a memory, holy shit.

  • @italianbaptist
    @italianbaptist Před rokem +7

    I remember reading old Nintendo Powers back in the day and apparently Looney Tunes even tried their hand in it? They weren’t one for one, rather platformers with a top down perspective. But the collecting, linking and trading is still there. They were called Looney Tunes Collector: Alert and Marvin Strikes Back.

  • @superluigicam6660
    @superluigicam6660 Před rokem +1

    When this man uploads my day is instantly good.

  • @blistlelo1700
    @blistlelo1700 Před rokem +5

    I think the Animorph-based Pokemon clone had an interesting concept where you are collecting morphs from creatures that you can transform into and fight other people who also transform into other creatures. Maybe you aren't just morphing into another species version of yourself but as a clone of the individual creature that you are copying the form from which have their own individual stats, levels and even characteristics differ a little from other individuals within the species. It fits well with a spiritual or sci fi setting.

  • @lestalah2451
    @lestalah2451 Před 5 měsíci

    Thank you so much for fighting foodons i don't think it ever aired in Australia so i never saw it, but oh my god the sprites from the game are amazing

  • @PokemonHunters-
    @PokemonHunters- Před rokem

    Hey man!!
    Just wanted to take the time to complement your work. This video is very nostalgic and educational. I can tell how much time you put into this my friend!! Two thumbs up 👍👍.
    Keep up the good work man I look forward to seeing other POKÉMON videos.
    Pokemon Hunters 🔥

  • @hekanymous
    @hekanymous Před rokem

    Props for using Game Center CX footage in the intro, love that show so much.

  • @DANNY__JK
    @DANNY__JK Před rokem

    yesss my new fav youtuber uploaded letsgoooo

  • @cobajonicle9639
    @cobajonicle9639 Před rokem

    Love your channel, homie

  • @aidanpeanuthead4649
    @aidanpeanuthead4649 Před rokem

    New fav youtube channel

  • @MicBain
    @MicBain Před rokem

    Oh man that opening video sure brought back memories!

  • @tomKATT92
    @tomKATT92 Před rokem +2

    Man, this brings me back to Portugal when I was a kid. I went around a few stalls in the city centre I was staying at ion holiday and ended up getting 'Pokemon Jade' for really cheap (shout out to the old gaming prices). I thought it was gonna be a new pokemon game I'd not heard of, but ended up being telefang. I still actually enjoyed it a bit though tbh, it wasn't a bad game. But seeing someone talk about the telefang game brought me back to that time!

  • @cafepwnage
    @cafepwnage Před 9 měsíci +1

    Medabots was one of my favorite cartoons and games, such a cool concept.

  • @TKDB13
    @TKDB13 Před 2 měsíci

    As soon as I saw the title Fighting Foodons, before even mentioning the anime, I immediately had the theme song playing in my head. I don't think I ever watched it all that much, but clearly that theme song stuck with me.

  • @soundsliketough8294
    @soundsliketough8294 Před 9 měsíci +3

    I loved fighting foodons, even the theme song was great to me. Legit one of my favorite shows back in the ol 4Kids days.

  • @thecharredminer5797
    @thecharredminer5797 Před rokem

    this intro man good shit, makes me feel like i was being thrown back in time

  • @kemix1006
    @kemix1006 Před rokem +2

    I'd still like to point out that SMT was pokemon before Pokemon existed. Granted, you're going out to murder capital G god joined by a team of demons that reflect various OTHER gods, deities and various other such things, but it was probably the biggest contemporary to Pokemon.
    It wasn't until after Pokemon came out that THEY tried to make a side series more along the lines of Pokemon, but it kinda just...faded away. The only one we really got state side was Demi Kids Light and Dark versions.

    • @TrazynTheKleptomanichad
      @TrazynTheKleptomanichad Před rokem

      amen my dude 🙏 every concept copycat deserves shaming until they pull it off better than the OG huh? rip to all my Megaten fans :')

  • @TateS26
    @TateS26 Před rokem

    Good video man!

  • @Albertt-yv8um
    @Albertt-yv8um Před rokem

    Another banger MagicMush video as usual

  • @ggaboveaveragegamer
    @ggaboveaveragegamer Před rokem +5

    Robopon on gba was pretty good tho. It was four on four battles and also had you overcome obstacles by going back in time to change present outcomes as well as even aliens and of course robots. On gba I actually prefer robopon over Pokémon and wished they kept going. I could only imagine what a wacky fun robopon game could be on current console gen and even on 3ds but oh well now it only lives as a great memory

  • @brandonboyd8252
    @brandonboyd8252 Před rokem +2

    Oh my god I remember I had a cart with a bunch of games on it and one was labeled "Pokemon Jade" but it looks like it was Telefang! I might actually download the ROM for the nostalgia

  • @nicholaslienandjaja1815
    @nicholaslienandjaja1815 Před 8 měsíci +1

    Funny thing about Animorphs for the Game Boy is that fast forward to the 2000s and 2010s, Bandai Namco made a monster (and card) collecting and battling game featuring animals for arcades. It's called Animal Kaiser (I've played it, and it was very weird, but fun).

  • @facepalmqwerty
    @facepalmqwerty Před rokem +12

    Shame you haven't touched on Medabots, They were awesome.

    • @thesacredlobo
      @thesacredlobo Před rokem

      Probably because most of the games for that franchise are terrible in my experience.

    • @diegogalvan1810
      @diegogalvan1810 Před rokem

      @@thesacredlobo try playing the GBA RPG games or Medarot R, they’re not bad

    • @thesacredlobo
      @thesacredlobo Před rokem +1

      @@diegogalvan1810 - I've been slowly working on a Let's Play for the Rokusho version of the RPG and have found it lacking. Mostly because you can potentially lose fights instantly if an enemy scores a lucky headshot at the start of a fight.
      And I just recorded the last few episodes of the main game for Medabots AX: Metabee. And the ability of enemies to headshot you there are extremely annoying as well.
      Though, I'll admit slowly is probably an understatement on the RPG one since I haven't done an update in over half a year at this point, but have done enough grinding for some of my medals to be over level 50.

    • @SporeDemigod
      @SporeDemigod Před rokem

      @@thesacredlobo I loved Rokusho version but will admit it has a few flaws:
      - The level grinding is pretty slow since overflow experience from levelling up doesn't carry over and levelling up only gets you +1 Avoid and +1 Defense, skill up only gets you +1 Hit, and it takes +4 Hit to get +1 potential damage.
      - The very early game (basically until you've gotten a few decent parts on your second Medabot to make it a decent support) is very easy to lose since your Avoid is so low and both Rokusho's attacks make him prone to headshots. Sloan 1 is practically a scripted fight since you have to time using Scout when you expect to take a hit, which isn't bad in a nutshell considering this fight requires more strategy than about 95% of the rest of the game, it's just very weirdly out of place since it's literally the second fight in the game and you have no variation in your approach apart from Rokusho's base kit.
      - There are also some issues with dominant strategy as well, such as basing a team around a Jellyfish medal attacker in Metabee (since at higher levels your Aim Shot will pretty much always Crit, so you're getting constant Crit + chain damage attacks; and you can just use a Half Block supporter with Cancel Laser to nullify damage from nearly every attack in the game barring some of endgame bosses) or a Rabbit medal supporter in Rokusho (where you can use a combination of the pushover and speed drain parts to effectively not let your opponent do anything).
      The "lucky headshot" thing is an issue but arguably one that can be avoided (outside the Mega-Emperor fight, since all its parts are Aim Shot + chain damage attacks) or worked around. This isn't indicated at all in-game, but Crit isn't a % chance, but actually a binary "yes crit"/"no crit" based on whether or not your Hit is high enough compared to the target's Avoid + Defense. Hence why using Berserk moves always leaves you open to a crit. If you're constantly getting critted, it's likely because you're either spamming Berserk or your Avoid/Defense (which is mainly affected by level, total compatibility bonus, and leg parts) is far lower than your opponents' hit rate. The latter doesn't really happen if you progress normally.

  • @Hunni_Gummi
    @Hunni_Gummi Před rokem

    9:53 omg Ty for the Telefang info now I'll have some form of understanding of why the f they are in the pokemon rom hack snakewood.

  • @ace-xy8ub
    @ace-xy8ub Před rokem

    Great content, thanks.

  • @Sonicfoxtrot
    @Sonicfoxtrot Před rokem +2

    Keep up the content Sneed (formerly Chuck).

  • @YukeWeiss
    @YukeWeiss Před rokem +3

    I played Robopon 2 back on Virtual Boy Advance back in the day a lot. Revisited it in 2021. It was a pretty cool departure from the direct rip-off of the original and continued the story along. Genuinely some of the music in that game is still with me and I wish I had snagged a copy of it back in the day, because now boxed copies go for hundreds.