headquarters tokyo japan key people kenta cho number of employees 1 website http www.asahi net.or.jp cs8k cyu index e.html aba games is a japanese video game developer composed solely of game designer kenta cho . aba games works available as open source freeware are predominantly shoot em up games often inspired by classic games in the genre . its games feature stylised retro graphics innovative gameplay features and modes and are set in random rather than scripted events . these creations have been acclaimed as some of the best and well known independent games available though some commentators including cho himself feel they are too simple for commercial release . cho began creating computer games as a hobby during his childhood in the 1980s . after leaving university he pursued a career with toshiba in multimedia research and development while continuing to develop games in his spare time . the positive reaction to aba games first shoot em up noiz2sa 2002 encouraged him to concentrate on that genre . the developer s games have been ported from the original windows versions to mac os x and linux and various handheld devices . one of its games tumiki fighters was remade built upon and released for the wii console as blast works . according to cho he occasionally receives interest in further console ports . in addition to tumiki fighters acclaimed aba games titles include gunroar rrootage and torus trooper . contents 1 overview 2 games 3 reception and impact 4 references 5 external links overview edit noiz2sa aba games first shoot em up for windows . aba games sole developer kenta cho began writing games as a child during the 1980s using the nec pc 6001 microcomputer as there were few commercially available games . after leaving university cho contemplated professional games development but ultimately instead joined toshiba to work in multimedia research and development . he continues to work full time for toshiba while running aba games as a hobby working mainly on weekends . 1 2 cho is the sole contributor to aba games . 3 lacking musical training he creates the soundtracks to his games using commercially available pre made samples . 2 aba games releases a game approximately every six months 1 with the first three months spent creating prototypes and the latter three spent refining a finished version . 2 aba games released its first shoot em up game for windows pcs noiz2sa in 2002 and the positive feedback cho received encouraged him to concentrate on the genre . 4 aba games creations are avant garde 3 re imaginings of classic arcade shoot em ups 3 5 using modern 3d graphics techniques to emulate older vector graphics and employing imaginative fresh 6 gameplay ideas . 5 6 according to cho his graphical style was inspired by the game rez as well as street billboards and his attempts at innovative gameplay features have been inspired by games such as radiant silvergun ikaruga and gradius v. 4 aba games works also tend to be set in random rather than scripted events . 2 its games are developed for windows but some have been ported to other systems including mac os x iphone ipod touch 7 and psp 6 with its game tumiki fighters forming the basis of wii game blast works which included a selection of his games as bonus content . 8 cho has also created bulletml an open source program which can replicate bullet patterns from other shoot em up games . 1 cho has stated he occasionally receives interest in ports for game consoles but although he would otherwise be interested in such ports he feels his games are too simple for commercial release . 9 he has also stated his use of the d programming language proved problematic when porting tumiki fighters to the wii . 2 aba games works are open source and free to download ; 1 cho has stated he creates games of the kind which he desires to play and distributes them along with the source code for the enjoyment of others without the intent of monetary profit . 9 macworld acclaimed cho as spectacularly talented and one of today s best independent game programmers 10 while gamesradar noted him for creating some of the best freeware shoot em ups out there . 11 ashcraft states that in the west cho is hailed as the most famous doujin software shmup maker 1 while the guardian claimed cho s works are among the best known examples of japan s independent gaming scene . 12 while out with japan aba games is known as a doujin developer unlike doujin developers cho does not seek to sell his works nor are they fan created games ; however cho is affable to the term being applied to his work . 1 2 jonathan mak creator of award winning game everyday shooter published by sony on playstation network has cited aba games parsec 47 as the inspiration behind his game s aesthetic . 13 games edit gunroar is an abstract naval themed shoot em up game just as in geometry wars . gunroar is a naval themed shoot em up likened to a vertically scrolling version of geometry wars or a cross between asteroids and space invaders . 11 14 the player controls a small abstract gunboat which can be rotated through 360 degrees as in games such as geometry wars and robotron . the game also features vertical scrolling ; however unlike the standard shoot em up in which the propulsion of the craft dictates the pace players can control the speed at which they proceed through the level . the faster players move through a level the more points they will score . the game features multiple modes dependent on how the game is controlled the player can choose to control a single boat by means of the keyboard or mouse or a more complicated dual mode allowing the use of two boats using both hands on the keyboard . 5 gunroar was praised for its minimalist design 11 impressive polygonal graphics 6 and frenetic action . 15 tumiki fighters a side scrolling shooter was remade as blast works build trade destroy for the wii console . tumiki fighters is a side scrolling shooter in which the protagonist is a toy aeroplane flying through a cartoon setting . the game employs a device inspired by katamari damacy allowing the player to attach debris from destroyed enemies to the aircraft which in turn act as armour and power ups . 11 14 praised for its addictive gameplay 11 tumiki fighters formed the base of blast works build trade destroy a game published by majesco in 2008 for the wii . 8 developer budcat creations remade aba games creation for the console and further added an editor function allowing extensive user created content . critics acclaimed blast works for its innovative and entertaining gameplay and has been described by critics variously as an upgraded version or remake 8 16 17 or simply a port or re release 1 6 of tumiki fighters . blast works featured tumiki fighters as well as three other aba games titles as bonus content . ugo felt that these games minimalist graphics while not outstanding did retain some charm . 8 according to cho he did not receive money for the port allowing his game to be used for free . 1 rrootage is a shoot em up viewed from a top down perspective composed solely of boss battles against large abstract spacecraft attacking the player with intricate barrages of projectiles . the game featured multiple modes normal psy ika and gw ; the latter three inspired by psyvariar ikaruga and giga wing respectively . the game was ported to the iphone and ipod touch by developer lahzrog games and released as a free download on itunes . 7 18 gamesradar described the game as great and full of win . 11 macworld acknowledged the game was esoteric but praised its classic fast paced action awarding it a maximum five stars . however the reviewer noted the iphone version sometimes ran more slowly than intended . 7 torus trooper a reimagining of the game tempest features a spacecraft flying through an abstract tunnel the walls of which twist and change shape . the player competes against the clock gaining more time by destroying enemies . the game was acclaimed for its stark yet highly attractive graphics . 10 14 titanion is a vertical shooter acclaimed for its attractive graphics . 14 mu cade is heavily based on namco s motos while noiz2sa is an abstract bullet hell shooter 14 a sequel to the earlier java games noiz and noiz2 and a predecessor to parsec47 . 19 reception and impact edit as kenta cho usually releases the source code of his games under a bsd like permissive license 20 his games are often ported by volunteers to other systems . for example tumiki fighters written in d and released in 2004 was included in the linux distribution debian 21 and also ported to pandora handheld . 22 references edit a b c d e f g h ashcraft brian 2008 arcade mania the turbo charged world of japan s game centers kodansha international p. 71 a b c d e f sheffield brandon the indie shooter roundtable mak cho and omega fire at will gamasutra july 28 2008 accessed mar 15 2009 a b c ashcraft p. 70 a b honkie joe kenta cho aba games interview archived january 16 2008 at the wayback machine . giant robeast accessed mar 17 2009 a b c miller pat retro like you ve never seen it before the escapist feb 21 2006 accessed mar 16 2009 a b c d e rossignol jim games kenta cho bbc collective aug 16 2007 accessed mar 16 2009 a b c cohen peter rrootage for iphone 2.0 for iphone review macworld accessed mar 17 2009 a b c d rosenberg adam blast works review archived august 4 2009 at the wayback machine . ugo accessed mar 16 2009 a b kenta cho mtv interview indy gamer dec 18 2006 accessed mar 17 2009 . transcript of totilo stephen kenta cho speaks mtv dec 18 2006 u.s. only a b torus trooper macworld jan 19 2005 accessed mar 17 2009 a b c d e f nagata tyler the 10 best free shoot em ups gamesradar accessed mar 16 2009 stuart keith japan can rise again to be the land of the videogame the guardian oct 16 2008 accessed mar 17 2009 bergfield carlos interview everyday shooter creator jonathan mak archived august 8 2009 at the wayback machine . shacknews aug 9 2007 accessed mar 17 2009 a b c d e 365 days of free games archived march 4 2009 at the wayback machine . gamesradar accessed mar 16 2009 rossignol jim eurogamer s summer of pc plenty eurogamer july 18 2006 accessed mar 16 2009 hatfield daemon blastworks review ign june 6 2008 accessed mar 9 2009 boyer brandon majesco announces new wii exclusive blast works gamasutra june 7 2007 accessed mar 16 2009 purchese rob kenta cho shmup free on itunes eurogamer oct 22 2008 accessed mar 17 2009 snow jean kenta cho s shooters coming to iphone wired oct 8 2008 accessed mar 17 2009 tf0 2.zip copyright 2004 kenta cho . all rights reserved . redistribution and use in source and binary forms with or without modification are permitted provided that the following conditions are met 1 . redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice this list of conditions and the following disclaimer . 2 . redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and or other materials provided with the distribution . bug 439713 marked as done itp tumiki fighters sticky 2d shooter on