LEGO Fun to Build: Difference between revisions

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'''''LEGO Fun to Build'''''{{efn|Represented in [[Wikipedia:Furigana|furigana]] as ファン トゥ ビルド}} is a 1995 educational children's game developed and published by [[Wikipedia:Sega|Sega]]. Released exclusively in Japan for the [[Wikipedia:Sega Pico|Kids Computer Pico]], it is the first official LEGO video game ever released, predating ''[[LEGO Island]]'' by nearly two years.
'''''LEGO Fun to Build'''''{{efn|Represented in [[Wikipedia:Furigana|furigana]] as {{lang|ja|ンファ トゥ ビルド}} (''Fan tu Birudo'')}} is a 1995 educational children's game developed and published by [[Wikipedia:Sega|Sega]]. Released exclusively in Japan for the [[Wikipedia:Sega Pico|Kids Computer Pico]], it is the first official LEGO video game ever released, predating ''[[LEGO Island]]'' by nearly two years.


== Gameplay ==
== Gameplay ==
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| style="text-align: center;" | [[File:Fun to Build p1 title.png|160px]]<br>Title screen || The game's title screen features no other activities.
| style="text-align: center;" | [[File:Fun to Build p1 title.png|160px]]<br>Title screen || The game's title screen features no other activities.
|-
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | [[File:Fun to Build p2 Town.png|160px]]<br/>Town<br/>(街シリ一ズ) ||
| style="text-align: center;" | [[File:Fun to Build p2 Town.png|160px]]<br/>{{nihongo|Town<br/>|街シリ一ズ}} ||
|-
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | [[File:Fun to Build p3 Aquazone.png|160px]]<br/>Aquazone<br/>(アクアゾーン) ||
| style="text-align: center;" | [[File:Fun to Build p3 Aquazone.png|160px]]<br/>{{nihongo|Aquazone<br/>|アクアゾーン}} ||
|-
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | [[File:Fun to Build p4 Castle.png|160px]]<br/>Castle<br/>(お城シリ一ズ) ||
| style="text-align: center;" | [[File:Fun to Build p4 Castle.png|160px]]<br/>{{nihongo|Castle<br/>|お城シリ一ズ}} ||
|-
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | [[File:Fun to Build p5 Space.png|160px]]<br/>Space<br/>(宇宙シリーズ) ||
| style="text-align: center;" | [[File:Fun to Build p5 Space.png|160px]]<br/>{{nihongo|Space<br/>|宇宙シリーズ}} ||
|-
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | [[File:Fun to Build p6 Building.png|160px]]<br/>Building games<br/>(組み立て遊び) ||
| style="text-align: center;" | [[File:Fun to Build p6 Building.png|160px]]<br/>{{nihongo|Building games<br/>|組み立て遊び}} ||
|}
|}


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! Header text !! Header text
! Header text !! Header text
|-
|-
| Racing game (レースゲーム) || The Racing game is accessed by selecting and assembling the Speedboat from the picture book. The player selects one of four vehicles and races three CPU opponents. If the player finishes in the top two they advance to the finals in a one-on-one race.{{R|manual|p=10}}
| {{nihongo|Racing game|レースゲーム}} || The Racing game is accessed by selecting and assembling the Speedboat from the picture book. The player selects one of four vehicles and races three CPU opponents. If the player finishes in the top two they advance to the finals in a one-on-one race.{{R|manual|p=10}}
|-
|-
| Pizza delivery game (ピザ配達ゲーム) || {{R|manual|p=11}}
| {{nihongo|Pizza delivery game|ピザ配達ゲーム}} || {{R|manual|p=11}}
|-
|-
| Aqua Crystal Exploration Vessel game (アクアクリスタル探査艇ゲーム) || {{R|manual|p=14}}
| {{nihongo|Aqua Crystal Exploration Vessel game|アクアクリスタル探査艇ゲーム}} || {{R|manual|p=14}}
|-
|-
| Aqua Mini Submarine game (アクアミニサブマリンゲーム) || {{R|manual|p=15}}
| {{nihongo|Aqua Mini Submarine game|アクアミニサブマリンゲーム}} || {{R|manual|p=15}}
|-
|-
| Castle maze game (お城迷路ゲーム) || {{R|manual|pp=18-19}}
| {{nihongo|Castle maze game|お城迷路ゲーム}} || {{R|manual|pp=18-19}}
|-
|-
| Ice Planet Mogul game (アイスプラネットモーグルゲーム) || {{R|manual|p=22}}
| {{nihongo|Ice Planet Mogul game|アイスプラネットモーグルゲーム}} || {{R|manual|p=22}}
|-
|-
| Twin Falcon game (ツインファルコンゲーム) || {{R|manual|p=23}}
| {{nihongo|Twin Falcon game|ツインファルコンゲーム}} || {{R|manual|p=23}}
|}
|}


== Development and release ==
== Development and release ==
''LEGO Fun to Build'' was developed at Sega Enterprises Ltd for the educational Kids Computer Pico video game console (known internationally as the Sega Pico).{{R|BNB 17|page=1}} The game was designed for children between the ages of three and six. Akemi Kamata headed the game's production. Kamata thought that a game featuring LEGO bricks would work well on the Pico, believing that LEGO naturally fostered creativity. She later said about it, "I thought that if I could make my favorite LEGO bricks that could be played with interactively through a TV, children's dreams would spread."{{R|BNB 17|pages=5-6}} Much of the game's graphics are based on 1995 art assets from the marketing agency [[Advance]]; the front cover also uses a photograph from these assets.<ref name="Advance"/> Development was completed during October 1995,<ref name="rom header"/> and the game was released in Japan in December 1995.<ref name="25 press"/>
''LEGO Fun to Build'' was developed at Sega Enterprises for the educational Kids Computer Pico console (known internationally as the Sega Pico).{{R|BNB 17|page=1}} The game was designed for children between the ages of three and six. Akemi Kamata headed the game's production. Kamata thought that a game featuring LEGO bricks would work well on the Pico, believing that LEGO naturally fostered creativity. She later said about it, "I thought that if I could make my favorite LEGO bricks that could be played with interactively through a TV, children's dreams would spread."{{R|BNB 17|pages=5-6}} Much of the game's graphics are based on 1995 art assets from the marketing agency [[Advance]]; the game's box art and "Storyware" cartridge pages also use photographs from these assets.<ref name="Advance"/> Development was completed during October 1995,<ref name="rom header"/> and the game was released in Japan in December 1995.<ref name="25 press"/>
 
=== Prototype versions ===
In March 2008, two early builds of ''Fun to Build'' were released on the video game preservation website Hidden Palace. The builds were part of a collection of Pico prototype [[Wikipedia:EPROM|EPROMs]] supplied by video game hardware developer [[Wikipedia:Kevin Horton|Kevin "Kevtris" Horton]].<ref name="DRX lot"/> The ROM headers of both prototypes label them as ''Crayon Shin-chan no Oekaki Note'', a Pico game developed by [[Wikipedia:Bandai|Bandai]] based on the ''[[Wikipedia:Crayon Shin-chan|Crayon Shin-chan]]'' manga; the two prototypes were mislabeled as prototypes of this game on Hidden Palace as a result.<ref name="prototype A"/><ref name="prototype C"/> The ''Crayon Shin-chan'' game's header date of January 1995<ref name="crayon"/> is also copied in both ''Fun to Build'' prototypes, obscuring their actual build dates.<ref name="prototype A"/><ref name="prototype C"/>


== Legacy ==
== Legacy ==
Despite being the first LEGO video game, ''Fun to Build'' has remained obscure compared to later titles such as ''[[LEGO Island]]'', and little is known about its development. In November 2020, the LEGO Group launched the podcast ''[[Bits N' Bricks]]'' to celebrate the 25th anniversary of LEGO video games, based on the release of ''Fun to Build''. The game was only briefly discussed in episode 17, however, where Akemi Kamata was revealed to be its producer. Journalist [[Wikipedia:Brian Crecente|Brian Crecente]], one of the podcast's two hosts, contacted Kamata and learned about her involvement in the game; Kamata did not appear as a guest participant on the podcast.{{R|BNB 17|pages=5-6}}
Despite being the first LEGO video game, ''Fun to Build'' has remained obscure compared to later titles such as ''[[LEGO Island]]'', and little is known about its development. In November 2020, the LEGO Group launched the podcast ''[[Bits N' Bricks]]'' to celebrate the 25th anniversary of LEGO video games, based on the release of ''Fun to Build''. The game was only briefly discussed in episode 17, however, where Akemi Kamata was revealed to be its producer. Journalist [[Wikipedia:Brian Crecente|Brian Crecente]], one of the podcast's co-hosts, contacted Kamata and learned about her involvement in the game, though Kamata did not appear as a guest participant on the podcast.{{R|BNB 17|pages=5-6}}
 
Two prototype versions of ''Fun to Build'' were released on the website Hidden Palace in March 2008, as part of a collection of Pico prototypes supplied by video game hardware developer [[Wikipedia:Kevin Horton|Kevin "Kevtris" Horton]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hiddenpalace.org/News/Ecco_2,_Nightmare_Circus,_X-Perts... |title=Ecco 2, Nightmare Circus, X-Perts... |date=March 30, 2008 |website=Hidden Palace |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240916004713/https://hiddenpalace.org/News/Ecco_2,_Nightmare_Circus,_X-Perts... |archive-date=2024-09-16 |url-status=live}}</ref> However, the ROM headers of the two prototypes label them as ''[[Wikipedia:Crayon Shin-chan|Crayon Shin-chan no o-Ekaki Nōte]]'', a Pico game developed by [[Wikipedia:Bandai|Bandai]] in January 1995;<ref>{{cite video game |title = Crayon Shin-chan no o-Ekaki Nōte |developer = [[Wikipedia:Bandai|Bandai]] | date = January 1995 |platform = [[Wikipedia:Sega Pico|Sega Pico]] |code = [https://segaretro.org/Crayon_Shin-chan_no_Oekaki_Note/Technical_information#ROM_header ROM header], offset <samp>00000100</samp> |quote = SEGA PICO – (C)T-1331995.JAN – CRAYON SHINCHAN – OEKAKI NOTE – T-133080-00}}</ref> the two prototypes were mislabeled as this game on Hidden Palace as a result.<ref>https://hiddenpalace.org/Crayon_Shinchan_Oekaki_Note_(Prototype_A)</ref><ref>https://hiddenpalace.org/Crayon_Shinchan_Oekaki_Note_(Prototype_C)</ref> It is unknown how the two games are connected, and Bandai is not credited with any involvement in ''Fun to Build''.


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
Line 74: Line 75:


<ref name="BNB 17">{{cite web |url=https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/set/assets/bltbc3b7e4fbaec6b02/bits_n_bricks_s01e17_lego_video_games_and_digital_play_feature_and_transcript.pdf |title=Episode 17 – LEGO Video Games and Digital Play |last1=Crecente |first1=Brian |last2=Vincent |first2=Ethan |others=Participants: Niels B. Christiansen, Julia Goldin, and Sean McEvoy |date=31 March 2021 |work=[[Bits N' Bricks]] |type=Podcast |publisher=The LEGO Group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515152530/https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/set/assets/bltbc3b7e4fbaec6b02/bits_n_bricks_s01e17_lego_video_games_and_digital_play_feature_and_transcript.pdf |archive-date=15 May 2024 |url-status=live}} [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T82VcAe8uvw Audio version] via YouTube.</ref>
<ref name="BNB 17">{{cite web |url=https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/set/assets/bltbc3b7e4fbaec6b02/bits_n_bricks_s01e17_lego_video_games_and_digital_play_feature_and_transcript.pdf |title=Episode 17 – LEGO Video Games and Digital Play |last1=Crecente |first1=Brian |last2=Vincent |first2=Ethan |others=Participants: Niels B. Christiansen, Julia Goldin, and Sean McEvoy |date=31 March 2021 |work=[[Bits N' Bricks]] |type=Podcast |publisher=The LEGO Group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515152530/https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/set/assets/bltbc3b7e4fbaec6b02/bits_n_bricks_s01e17_lego_video_games_and_digital_play_feature_and_transcript.pdf |archive-date=15 May 2024 |url-status=live}} [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T82VcAe8uvw Audio version] via YouTube.</ref>
<ref name="crayon">{{cite video game |title = Crayon Shin-chan no o-Ekaki Nōte |developer = [[Wikipedia:Bandai|Bandai]] | date = January 1995 |platform = [[Wikipedia:Sega Pico|Sega Pico]] |code = [https://segaretro.org/Crayon_Shin-chan_no_Oekaki_Note/Technical_information#ROM_header ROM header], offset <samp>00000100</samp> |quote = SEGA PICO – (C)T-1331995.JAN – CRAYON SHINCHAN – OEKAKI NOTE – T-133080-00}}</ref>
<ref name="DRX lot">{{cite web |url=https://hiddenpalace.org/News/Ecco_2,_Nightmare_Circus,_X-Perts... |title=Ecco 2, Nightmare Circus, X-Perts... |date=March 30, 2008 |website=Hidden Palace |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240916004713/https://hiddenpalace.org/News/Ecco_2,_Nightmare_Circus,_X-Perts... |archive-date=2024-09-16 |url-status=live}}</ref>


<ref name="manual">{{cite book |title=LEGO Fun to Build |script-title=ja:ガイドブック |trans-title=LEGO Fun to Build Guidebook |language=ja |publisher=Sega Enterprises Ltd |year=1995 |url=https://segaretro.org/images/b/b3/LFTB_pico_jp_manual.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240214082107/https://segaretro.org/images/b/b3/LFTB_pico_jp_manual.pdf |archive-date=14 February 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="manual">{{cite book |title=LEGO Fun to Build |script-title=ja:ガイドブック |trans-title=LEGO Fun to Build Guidebook |language=ja |publisher=Sega Enterprises Ltd |year=1995 |url=https://segaretro.org/images/b/b3/LFTB_pico_jp_manual.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240214082107/https://segaretro.org/images/b/b3/LFTB_pico_jp_manual.pdf |archive-date=14 February 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="prototype A">{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Hidden Palace |url=https://hiddenpalace.org/Crayon_Shinchan_Oekaki_Note_(Prototype_A) |title=Crayon Shinchan Oekaki Note (Prototype A) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916030138/https://hiddenpalace.org/Crayon_Shinchan_Oekaki_Note_(Prototype_A) |archive-date=2024-09-16 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<ref name="prototype C">{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Hidden Palace |url=https://hiddenpalace.org/Crayon_Shinchan_Oekaki_Note_(Prototype_C) |title=Crayon Shinchan Oekaki Note (Prototype C) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916030037/https://hiddenpalace.org/Crayon_Shinchan_Oekaki_Note_(Prototype_C) |archive-date=2024-09-16 |url-status=live}}</ref>


<ref name="rom header">{{cite video game |title = LEGO Fun to Build |developer = [[Wikipedia:Sega|Sega]] | date = December 1995 |platform = [[Wikipedia:Sega Pico|Sega Pico]] |code = [https://segaretro.org/Lego_Fun_to_Build/Technical_information#ROM_header ROM header], offset <samp>00000100</samp> |quote = SEGA PICO – (C)SEGA 1995.OCT – LEGO—FUN TO BUILD – LEGO—FUN TO BUILD – HPC-6032-00}}</ref>  
<ref name="rom header">{{cite video game |title = LEGO Fun to Build |developer = [[Wikipedia:Sega|Sega]] | date = December 1995 |platform = [[Wikipedia:Sega Pico|Sega Pico]] |code = [https://segaretro.org/Lego_Fun_to_Build/Technical_information#ROM_header ROM header], offset <samp>00000100</samp> |quote = SEGA PICO – (C)SEGA 1995.OCT – LEGO—FUN TO BUILD – LEGO—FUN TO BUILD – HPC-6032-00}}</ref>  

Revision as of 06:42, 16 September 2024

LEGO Fun to Build
Front cover
Developer(s)Sega
Publisher(s)Sega
Producer(s)Akemi Kamata[1]: 6 
Platform(s)Kids Computer Pico
Release
Genre(s)Edutainment
Mode(s)Single-player

LEGO Fun to Build[note 1] is a 1995 educational children's game developed and published by Sega. Released exclusively in Japan for the Kids Computer Pico, it is the first official LEGO video game ever released, predating LEGO Island by nearly two years.

Gameplay

LEGO Fun to Build is an activity center game. thing. Control with stylus and stuff.[3]: 4  It has four sections: Town, Aquazone, Castle, and Space, each accessed by turning the book. The Pico book.

Pages:

Caption text
Header text Header text
File:Fun to Build p1 title.png
Title screen
The game's title screen features no other activities.
File:Fun to Build p2 Town.png
Town
(街シリ一ズ)
File:Fun to Build p3 Aquazone.png
Aquazone
(アクアゾーン)
File:Fun to Build p4 Castle.png
Castle
(お城シリ一ズ)
File:Fun to Build p5 Space.png
Space
(宇宙シリーズ)

Building games
(組み立て遊び)

Minigames

Caption text
Header text Header text
Racing game (レースゲーム) The Racing game is accessed by selecting and assembling the Speedboat from the picture book. The player selects one of four vehicles and races three CPU opponents. If the player finishes in the top two they advance to the finals in a one-on-one race.[3]: 10 
Pizza delivery game (ピザ配達ゲーム) [3]: 11 
Aqua Crystal Exploration Vessel game (アクアクリスタル探査艇ゲーム) [3]: 14 
Aqua Mini Submarine game (アクアミニサブマリンゲーム) [3]: 15 
Castle maze game (お城迷路ゲーム) [3]: 18–19 
Ice Planet Mogul game (アイスプラネットモーグルゲーム) [3]: 22 
Twin Falcon game (ツインファルコンゲーム) [3]: 23 

Development and release

LEGO Fun to Build was developed at Sega Enterprises for the educational Kids Computer Pico console (known internationally as the Sega Pico).[1]: 1  The game was designed for children between the ages of three and six. Akemi Kamata headed the game's production. Kamata thought that a game featuring LEGO bricks would work well on the Pico, believing that LEGO naturally fostered creativity. She later said about it, "I thought that if I could make my favorite LEGO bricks that could be played with interactively through a TV, children's dreams would spread."[1]: 5–6  Much of the game's graphics are based on 1995 art assets from the marketing agency Advance; the game's box art and "Storyware" cartridge pages also use photographs from these assets.[4] Development was completed during October 1995,[5] and the game was released in Japan in December 1995.[2]

Prototype versions

In March 2008, two early builds of Fun to Build were released on the video game preservation website Hidden Palace. The builds were part of a collection of Pico prototype EPROMs supplied by video game hardware developer Kevin "Kevtris" Horton.[6] The ROM headers of both prototypes label them as Crayon Shin-chan no Oekaki Note, a Pico game developed by Bandai based on the Crayon Shin-chan manga; the two prototypes were mislabeled as prototypes of this game on Hidden Palace as a result.[7][8] The Crayon Shin-chan game's header date of January 1995[9] is also copied in both Fun to Build prototypes, obscuring their actual build dates.[7][8]

Legacy

Despite being the first LEGO video game, Fun to Build has remained obscure compared to later titles such as LEGO Island, and little is known about its development. In November 2020, the LEGO Group launched the podcast Bits N' Bricks to celebrate the 25th anniversary of LEGO video games, based on the release of Fun to Build. The game was only briefly discussed in episode 17, however, where Akemi Kamata was revealed to be its producer. Journalist Brian Crecente, one of the podcast's co-hosts, contacted Kamata and learned about her involvement in the game, though Kamata did not appear as a guest participant on the podcast.[1]: 5–6 

Notes

  1. Represented in furigana as ンファ トゥ ビルド (Fan tu Birudo)

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Crecente, Brian; Vincent, Ethan (31 March 2021). "Episode 17 – LEGO Video Games and Digital Play" (PDF). Bits N' Bricks (Podcast). Participants: Niels B. Christiansen, Julia Goldin, and Sean McEvoy. The LEGO Group. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 May 2024. Audio version via YouTube.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "From Bricks to Bits: The LEGO Group Celebrates 25 Years of LEGO Video Games" (Press release). Billund: The LEGO Group. 2 December 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-01-17. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 LEGO Fun to Build ガイドブック [LEGO Fun to Build Guidebook] (PDF) (in 日本語). Sega Enterprises Ltd. 1995. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 February 2024.
  4. emily/Pereki (2 January 2015). "The entire game is based almost exclusively on 1995 art assets from Advance". Rock Raiders United (Comment in topic "LEGO Fun to Build: The first LEGO game?"). Archived from the original on 19 January 2019.
  5. Sega (December 1995). LEGO Fun to Build (Sega Pico). File/code: ROM header, offset 00000100. SEGA PICO – (C)SEGA 1995.OCT – LEGO—FUN TO BUILD – LEGO—FUN TO BUILD – HPC-6032-00
  6. "Ecco 2, Nightmare Circus, X-Perts..." Hidden Palace. March 30, 2008. Archived from the original on 2024-09-16.
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Crayon Shinchan Oekaki Note (Prototype A)". Hidden Palace. Archived from the original on 2024-09-16.
  8. 8.0 8.1 "Crayon Shinchan Oekaki Note (Prototype C)". Hidden Palace. Archived from the original on 2024-09-16.
  9. Bandai (January 1995). Crayon Shin-chan no o-Ekaki Nōte (Sega Pico). File/code: ROM header, offset 00000100. SEGA PICO – (C)T-1331995.JAN – CRAYON SHINCHAN – OEKAKI NOTE – T-133080-00

External links