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| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | North America |
| Products | Video games |
| Parent | Macronix |
American Video Entertainment, Inc. was an American video game company based inSan Jose,California.[1] The company developed unlicensedvideo games for theNintendo Entertainment System.[2] The company developed two games on its own,Dudes with Attitude andTrolls on Treasure Island,[3] and published 19 games altogether for the NES.[4]
In January 1991, American Video Entertainment filed an antitrust lawsuit against Nintendo of America and its parent company,Nintendo. Seeking US$105 million in damages and filed by antitrust lawyerJoseph Alioto, the suit alleged that Nintendo's use of technology to prevent unlicensed games from running on their Nintendo Entertainment System console violated United States antitrust laws.[5] The lawsuit was settled three years later, under the terms of a secrecy order.[6]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
Blackjack Original release date(s):[7] 1992 (NA) | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Notes: Blackjack was developed byOdyssey Software and published by American Video Entertainment.[7] The game features blackjack action and a dealer who deals from 1 to 3 card decks. After winning a certain amount of money or losing it all, the game automatically ends. | |
Cue Stick Cancellation date:[8] 1992 (NA) | Proposed system release: Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Notes: Cue Stick was originally developed byOdyssey Software, and was to be published by American Video Entertainment.[8] | |
Deathbots Original release date(s):[9] 1990 (NA) | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Notes: Deathbots was developed byOdyssey Software and published by American Video Entertainment.[9] InDeathbots, the Mutech Corporation created a base onAlcatraz Island, where attempts to create superior computer intelligence have backfired, as the robots they've created have taken over the computer systems and are threatening the world. Deep in the fortress is anatomic bomb-like device called the Gamma Bomb, which one lone robot must destroy. The game is played from an overhead perspective. | |
Double Strike Original release date(s):[10] 1989 (AS) 1990 (NA/AUS) | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Notes: Double Strike was developed and published inTaiwan bySachen (original name: 双鷹), inNorth America by American Video Entertainment, and inAustralia byHES.[10] It is ashoot 'em up game in which the player must save a group of islands from terrorists. | |
Dudes with Attitude Original release date(s):[11] 1990 (NA) | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Notes: Dudes with Attitude is a puzzle game developed and published by American Video Entertainment.[11] The player controls a face-like character called a "Dude" or "Dudette". The object of the game is to collect all the treasures in every level without getting killed by obstacles or running out of time. Players collect treasures by touching them only if they are the same color as the treasures; players can change their color by running over cup-like objects called "attitude converters".[12][13] The game plays very similarly toDiamonds. The game was developed by Michael Crick and his 12 year-old daughter Camberley ("Cam"), who are the son and granddaughter ofNobel Prize recipientFrancis Crick respectively.[14] A freelancer programmer, Michael had most recently worked forTaito from 1990 and 1991, notably designingIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade for the NES.[15] Production onDudes with Attitude lasted four months with Cam designing and Michael programming.[14] Despite the original version of the game being unlicensed, it was officially re-released on theFamicom by Taiwanese company ITG.Soft on August 1, 2024.[16] | |
F-15 City War Original release date(s):[17] 1990 (NA/AUS) | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Notes: F-15 City War is a 3Dshoot 'em up game developed by Idea-Tek and published inNorth America by American Video Entertainment and inAustralia byHES.[17] In this game, the player must defend a city under siege bytanks,helicopters, enemy fighter jets, boats, and robots. According to David Sheff'sGame Over, the title sold at least 60,000 copies. | |
Original release date(s):[18] 1990 (NA/AUS) | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Notes: Impossible Mission II is aplatform game developed byNovotrade forEpyx and published inNorth America by American Video Entertainment; it was published in Australia byHES.[18] It is the sequel to theCommodore 64 hitImpossible Mission and features similar gameplay as its predecessor. It almost wasn't released due to strict rules with Epyx and Nintendo.[19] | |
Krazy Kreatures Original release date(s):[20] 1990 (NA) | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Notes: Krazy Kreatures is apuzzle game developed by Bitmasters and published by American Video Entertainment.[20] The player must clear various animals off the screen by arranging them into rows of three or more before the time runs out. | |
Maxivision 15-in-1 (Maxi 15) Original release date(s):[21] 1992 (NA/AUS) | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Notes: Maxivision 15-in-1 (Maxi 15) is amulticart published in North America by American Video Entertainment and in Australia by HES.[21] It was the last game to be published by AVE, and it featured games published by AVE, American Game Cartridges, andColor Dreams. The 15 games on the multicart areChiller,Deathbots,Double Strike,Dudes with Attitude,F-15 City Wars,Krazy Kreatures,Menace Beach,Puzzle,Pyramid,Rad Racket: Deluxe Tennis II,Shock Wave,Solitaire,Stakk M,Tiles of Fate, andVenice Beach Volleyball.[22] | |
Mermaids of Atlantis Original release date(s):[24] 1991 (NA/AS) | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Notes: Mermaids of Atlantis is apuzzle game published by AVE as a clean version of thepornographic NES gameMagic Bubble originally developed by Taiwanese developerC&E. The original pornographic version was also published in the United States asBubble Bath Babes byPanesian, and in Japan byHacker International asSoap Panic. The object is to clear groups of colored bubbles as they float to the top of the screen.[25] | |
Puzzle Original release date(s):[26] 1990 (NA) | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Notes: Puzzle is asliding puzzle video game developed by Idea-Tek and published by AVE.[26] The game consists of 10 different 4-by-4 sliding puzzles in which the player must solve in a limited amount of time. Players can receive limited help if they are stuck at any point during a puzzle.[27] | |
Pyramid Original release date(s):[28] 1992 (NA) 1990 (AS) | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System;Watara Supervision (1992) |
| Notes: Pyramid is apuzzle game developed bySachen and published inTaiwan by Sachen and in North America by AVE.[28] It is similar toTetris, except that the blocks are triangle-shaped instead of square. | |
Rad Racket: Deluxe Tennis II Original release date(s):[29] 1991 (NA) | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Notes: Rad Racket: Deluxe Tennis II is atennis game developed by Idea-Tek and published by AVE in 1991.[29] | |
Solitaire Original release date(s):[30] 1992 (NA) | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Notes: Solitaire was developed byOdyssey Software and released by AVE; it is based onMicrosoft Solitaire and thecard game of the same name.[30] | |
Tiles of Fate Original release date(s):[31] 1990 (NA) | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Notes: Tiles of Fate is apuzzle game developed by Taiwanese developer C&E (original title: 戰國四川省), and published in the United States by AVE. The player must restore order in AncientChina by matching similar tiles used by Ancient Kings. Similar to the gameMahjong, the player must clear tiles from the screen by matching them side by side in pairs.[32] | |
Trolls on Treasure Island Original release date(s):[33] 1992 (NA) | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Notes: Trolls on Treasure Island was developed and published by AVE in 1992. The game is exactly the same asDudes with Attitude but player controls atroll instead of a face, and the puzzles are slightly different. It was developed by father and daughter team Michael and Camberley Crick, who also worked onDudes With Attitude. Initially designed as a true sequel to that game, titledDudes With Attitude II, it was intended to be released on theMaxivision 30 cartridge.[34] However, it was cut when the compilation was reduced from 30 games down to 15 and the graphics were retooled with the troll doll aesthetic.[35] | |
Ultimate League Soccer Original release date(s):[36] 1991 (AS) 1992 (NA/AUS) | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Notes: Ultimate League Soccer is asoccer game developed by Taiwanese developer C&E. Apart from the United States and Taiwan, it was also published in Australia byHome Entertainment Suppliers and in Brazil by Milmar (under the name "Futebol"). A version with pornographic content added was published in Japan byHacker International. | |
Venice Beach Volleyball Original release date(s):[37] 1991 (NA) | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Notes: Venice Beach Volleyball is avolleyball game developed by Idea-Tek and published in the United States by AVE.[37] The player is in the semifinals of the Venice Beach Open volleyball tournament, with two of the teams consisting of men and the other two consisting of women.[38] | |
Original release date(s):[39] 1992 (NA) | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Notes: Wally Bear and the NO! Gang is aplatform game developed byAmerican Game Cartridges and published by AVE.[39] The game is a side-scroller, with an anti-drug and alcohol message. The game was designed in cooperation with, and endorsed by, theAmerican Medical Association and the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information.[40] |