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Stadium Events

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Stadium Events
Developer(s)Bandai Co., Ltd.
Publisher(s)Bandai America, Inc.
SeriesFamily Trainer, Series 2
Platform(s)NES
Release

Genre(s)Sports Simulation, Exergaming

Stadium Events is the English title of the Japanese Famicom video game Running Stadium (ランニングスタジアム, Ranningu Sutajiamu) by Bandai. The game was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the United States in 1987 as well as in Europe beginning in 1988. It was one of two games released in North America that were designed and branded for the Family Fun Fitness (FFF) mat. The other game in the Family Trainer series, Athletic World, was released earlier in the same year. Athletic World's label is marked with a green "Series 1"; Stadium Events has an orange "Series 2" badge. This numbering system was abandoned when Nintendo took over further Bandai releases for use with its Power Pad instead. Although there were 10 total games in the Family Trainer series, only these two games were released in North America under the Family Fun Fitness banner. The original box for the FFF mat features screenshots of Stadium Events under the banner "Coming Soon."

Game play

The game featured an Olympic-style Track and Field competition, with events such as the 100m dash, 110m hurdles, long jump, and triple jump. Modes of play include "Tournament" and "The Olympics". Race opponents are named after animals, the slowest being Turtle and the fastest being Cheetah. Players utilized the Family Fun Fitness mat (Side B) instead of a standard controller in order to run and jump. A controller, connected to Port A, is used to navigate the game's menu.

Rarity

The North American, or NTSC, version of Stadium Events is universally accepted as the rarest licensed NES game ever available for purchase in North America.[1][2][3][4] It was recently named #6 on a list of 20 "Holy Grails of Console Gaming"[5], a list that covered all gaming systems in all countries. The reason for its rarity and subsequent high market price[6][7][8] is due to its limited production and sales.[9] At the time of its launch during the holiday season of 1987, Stadium Events was only available at Northern-region Woolworth's Department Store, which was a test market for Bandai.[10] In 1988, Nintendo purchased the North American rights to the FFF mat technology and re-released it as the Power Pad. The two Family Fun Fitness-branded games that had already been released, as well as Bandai's version of the running pad accessory, were pulled from shelves and presumed destroyed. Because of this odd sequence of events, only 2000 copies are believed to have been produced, of which it is estimated that 200 copies reached consumers before being recalled.[9] Today, collectors who follow the online sale of rare video games believe that fewer than 10 complete copies of the game exist, only one of which is factory sealed. An eBay auction of a NES console along with a copy of the game with manual and box sold in excess of $13,000 in February 2010.[11]

Rebranding

Both of the games available in the US for the Family Fun Fitness mat were retooled and relabeled to reflect compatibility with the Power Pad instead. Athletic World's label and manual were changed slightly, replacing Family Fun Fitness verbiage with Power Pad wording. The box for Athletic World was changed completely, making the original box a collector's item. Stadium Events, however, was not similarly modified and re-released, but was instead recalled and distributed under an entirely different title, World Class Track Meet, in late 1988. The games are identical in game play and content, except for title changes within the game to reflect the new name.

Other releases

Stadium Events was released in Europe, although the PAL version, while uncommon, is not as rare or valuable[10] as the NTSC version due the fact that it was not recalled or otherwise limited in its release. Although it was released a year later in Europe, the Family Fun Fitness series had a longer production run in countries such as Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. The re-release, World Class Track Meet was produced and sold in large numbers, as it was a pack-in game for Nintendo's Power Set bundle, which included (among other items) the NES console, Power Pad, and World Class Track Meet. The Famicom version of, Running Stadium was not recalled or otherwise limited, and survives in greater numbers than the North American version.

References

  1. ^ www.the-nextlevel.com/board/showthread.php?t=41865
  2. ^ www.digitpress.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-100.html
  3. ^ www.gamesniped.com/2008/05/30/origional-nintendo-stadium-events-cartridge
  4. ^ www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=191868
  5. ^ http://www.racketboy.com/retro/2006/10/holy-grails-of-console-game-collecting-2.html
  6. ^ http://www.gamesniped.com/2008/05/30/origional-nintendo-stadium-events-cartridge
  7. ^ http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=112057
  8. ^ http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=1&cId=3151658
  9. ^ a b http://www.racketboy.com/retro/nintendo/nes/2008/03/the-rarest-and-most-valuable-nes-games.html
  10. ^ a b http://www.the-nextlevel.com/board/showthread.php?t=41865
  11. ^ http://www.boingboing.net/2010/02/10/old-nintendo-nes-sys.html
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