Culture Brain


Culture Brain Inc. is a Japanese video game developer and publisher founded on October 5, 1980. In 2016, it was renamed Culture Brain Excel.

History

Culture Brain was founded in 1980 as Nihon Game Corporation. In 1981, a subsidiary to handle the sales operations of the company was established. Its first video games were arcades games, with titles such as Shanghai Kid and Chinese Hero that were manufactured under "Taiyo System" trademark. In 1987, it transitioned from arcade to console video games and renamed itself "Culture Brain". The company has also alternatively used the brand "Micro Academy" in the mid-1980s.
In North America, Culture Brain is mostly known for its six video games for the Nintendo Entertainment System and its three for the Super NES. Three of those NES games, Baseball Simulator 1.000, The Magic of Scheherazade and Flying Dragon 2, were strongly redesigned from their Japanese source to better appeal North American consumers.
Culture Brain was distinct for its innovative gameplay by incorporating multiple genres in its games, but like many other Japanese video game companies, Culture Brain ceased its operations in the United States in the 1990s. Ever since the demise of Culture Brain USA, video games developed by the parent company have rarely made it in America. An exception of the latter situation is the Nintendo 64 version of Flying Dragon which was published by Natsume Inc. in the United States.

Culture Brain Excel era

In 2016, the company was renamed Culture Brain Excel and the website's URL was changed to the new name. The longtime Culture Brain logo was instantly dropped with the intent of launching a new logo in the following year.
In September 2021, Culture Brain Excel was renamed as Nihon Game once again, returning to its original name from 1980.

Subsidiary

Culture Brain also ran until 2003 a professional school, the Culture Brain Art Institute.

Games

Nintama Rantarō series

Baseball Simulator series

These baseball titles included some form of "Super League" where pitchers and batters would have special abilities.
  • Baseball Simulator 1.000, also known as Choujin Ultra Baseball
  • Super Baseball Simulator 1.000, also known as Super Ultra Baseball
  • Ultra Baseball Jitsumeiban, NPB licensed.
  • Super Ultra Baseball 2
  • Ultra Baseball Jitsumeiban 2, NPB licensed.
  • Ultra Baseball Jitsumeiban 3, NPB licensed.
  • Pro Yakyū Star, NPB licensed.

    Hiryū no Ken series

  • Shanghai Kid
  • Hiryu no Ken Special: Fighting Wars
  • Flying Dragon: The Secret Scroll
  • Flying Warriors
  • Fighting Simulator 2-in-1: Flying Warriors
  • Ultimate Fighter
  • SD Hiryu no Ken Gaiden
  • Flying Dragon
  • SD Hiryu no Ken Densetsu
  • Hiryu no Ken Retsuden GB
  • ''Virtual Hiryu No Ken''

    Super Chinese series

In this list are series which were originally released as "Chinese Hero", but became better known as Super Chinese, but with the exception of "Kung-Fu Heroes", these titles were released in North America as the "Ninja Brothers" series.
A Japan-only series of games for the GBA about fashion and dressing up. The games feature a wide range of clothes, shoes, accessories and makeup to be used in different combinations. There are 5 GBA games and 2 DS games.

Ferret/Hamster Monogatari series

A Japan-only series of games formally about care-taking ferrets, and later about care-taking hamsters. The illustrations of the Hamster Monogatari ones were heavily inspired by Ritsuko Kawai's children's storybook series, Hamtaro.
  • Ferret Monogatari: Watashi no Okini Iri
  • Hamster Monogatari
  • Hamster Monogatari 64
  • Hamster Monogatari 2 GBA
  • Hamster Monogatari GB + Magi Ham Mahou no Shoujo
  • Hamster Monogatari 3 GBA
  • Hamster Monogatari Collection
  • ''Hamster Monogatari 3EX, 4, Special''

    Konchuu Monster series

A Japan-only series of games about catching, training and battling insects. First released with Super Chinese Labyrinth both in Volume 3 of Culture Brain's Twin Series, a series of two-in-one Game Boy Advance games.
  • Twin Series Vol. 3: Konchuu Monster/Super Chinese Labyrinth
  • Konchuu Monster: Battle Master
  • Konchuu Monster: Battle Stadium
  • ''Konchuu no Mori no Daibouken''

    Other

  • The Magic of Scheherazade
  • First Queen
  • Osu!! Karate Bu
  • Computer Nouryoku Kaiseki: Ultra Baken
  • ''Sweet Cookie Pie''