Talk:VS. Wrecking Crew

American version and release

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The version available on Arcade Archives is the Japanese version, but there exists a poorly documented US version. A sneak peak of VSWC (likely the Japanese version) was shown to American distributors on August 24, 1984. The game could not have been released in September because its proper debut was on October 25-27 at the Amusement & Music Operators Association show in Chicago alongside VS. Golf / Pinball. After this show, the fate of VSWC in the US remains a mystery. It could have had a limited distribution due to lack of popularity and discontinued quickly. There is also the chance that the US version was pulled before a commercial release and that its ROM was later leaked, which would explain the dearth of information surrounding it. An American flyer with the game appeared in 1984 but there is no mention of the game in the following year's flyers. The copyright on its title screen is different from both the Japanese and American versions in that it's simply "Nintendo". The Japanese version has "Nintendo Co., Ltd." while the American version has "Nintendo of America Inc."

Gameplay of the American version can be seen in this video. It is easier than the Japanese version. First, there are fewer enemies. In some phases, the US version will have more enemies than its Japanese counterpart but the monsters are the slower type. The slower red Gotchawrenches continue appearing after Phase 10 and actually can coexist with the hatchet types, which are the slowest enemies. From what I can see, there can be no more than two types of enemies per phase. I could not locate a genuine instruction card for this version. To warn other editors, there are two fan-made English language cards originating from the KLOV forums which must not be uploaded or used as references: [1] and [2].

Finally, in light of recent discoveries involving VS. Pinball and VSWC, VS. Golf should also be investigated to see if there are regional differences.--Platform (talk) 14:02, September 1, 2022 (EDT)

Interesting. So, what to do about the source that claims a US 84/09 date? LinkTheLefty (talk) 09:31, September 3, 2022 (EDT)

I don't think it's accurate. I suspect VSWC flopped at AMOA '84 and Nintendo pulled the rug on it. That may explain why they tried reintroducing the game two years later at AMOA '86.--Platform (talk) 13:11, September 3, 2022 (EDT)

Changing the release date to '86 doesn't address the fundamental question. Was the US version ever released? We need to look for more sources. It could have flopped in AMOA '86 too and was pulled again. The US version ROM floating around could be from a leak. Officially, it may mean that VSWC was a Japan-only game (until Arcade Archives) and the US version should be considered an unreleased port.--Platform (talk) 14:44, September 3, 2022 (EDT)

I'm aware, hence why I made sure to put "for now" in the edit summaries. I'm hoping a little more information comes to light. On a side note, like Arcade Archives Wrecking Crew, Arcade Archive: Pinball doesn't have a region switch. So if we're confident that VS. Pinball had an American release, we can't use Archive Archives: VS. Wrecking Crew's lack of international version as evidence that the American release of VS. Wrecking Crew didn't happen. There wouldn't happen to be any photos or other details of the physical source of the online dump, right? (And if it does turn out that there is no other evidence of release, I don't think it would be considered an "unreleased port" since the Japanese version obviously still released. I'm not sure where a canceled regional release would fall under in that article, actually. For example, Nintendo Puzzle Collection isn't listed.) LinkTheLefty (talk) 15:18, September 3, 2022 (EDT)

Hamster Corporation acknowledges that they used the Japanese version of the game, implying they are aware of an overseas version. This can't be seen in Nintendo's Arcade Archive's website, but it appears in Hamster's own site: "This game uses the Japanese ROM for the main part of the game." Interestingly, they also acknowledge that they use the Japanese ROM for VS. Pinball but the overseas ROM for VS. Golf.--Platform (talk) 03:48, November 7, 2022 (EST)

It seems to me that VS. Wrecking Crew had an August 1984 Japan release and a 1986 US release. No known month for the US release. However, Google provides many conflicting answers. SONIC123CDMANIA+&K(B&ATSA) (talk) 14:22, January 05, 2023 (CST)

In the past year, more videos have emerged showing an alternative version(s) of this game. The first video shows both versions. A MAME player plays the Japanese version first before selecting the US version. The second video shows a "Nintendo Co., Ltd." as opposed to a "Nintendo of America" copyright, but it's still the American version. The third video is broken into chapters for each phase. It appears to be using a glitched ROM since it doesn't display green properly and appears similar to the early version of this image uploaded back in 2006Media:VS Wrecking Crew Gameplay.png. Unfortunately, none of the videos goes past Phase 18 but there's still a lot of info. In the US version, purple Gotchawrenches don't appear until Phase 5. The hatchet monsters debut in Phase 13 alongside the red ones. In Phase 15, all three types are on screen simultaneously with the hatchet ones being the slowest.--Platform (talk) 05:32, May 1, 2024 (EDT)

0_o. Wow, how things can change in a year! SONIC123CDMANIA+&K(B&ATSA) (talk) 13:06, May 6, 2024 (EDT)