Nobunaga's Ambition(Tín trường の dã vọng,Nobunaga no Yabō)is a series ofturn-basedgrand strategyrole-playingsimulation video games.[1]The original game was one of the first in its genre, being released in March 1983 by the Japanese video game developerKoei.[2][3]Nobunaga's Ambitiontakes place during theSengoku periodoffeudal Japan.The player is tasked with achieving the ultimate goal of warlordOda Nobunaga:the conquest and unification of Japan. Selecting Oda Nobunaga is optional, however, as the player is also able to choose from a variety of other regionaldaimyōsof the time.
| Nobunaga's Ambition | |
|---|---|
 Packaging for the Genesis version | |
| Genre(s) | Wargame,turn-based strategy,tactical role-playing |
| Developer(s) | Koei |
| Publisher(s) | Koei Koei Tecmo |
| Creator(s) | Kou Shibusawa |
| Platform(s) | Platforms
|
| First release | Nobunaga no Yabō March 1983 |
| Latest release | Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening July 20, 2022 |
Games in the franchise have been released forMicrosoft Windows,MS-DOS,theNintendo Entertainment System,Game Boy,Sega Genesis,3DO,Super Nintendo,PlayStation,Sega Saturn,PlayStation 2,PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,Wii,PlayStation Portable,PlayStation Vita,PlayStation 4,Nintendo Switch,Macintosh,MSX,andAmiga.As of March 2018, the series has shipped more than 10 million copies worldwide.[4]
Gameplay
editThe player may choose from four campaign scenarios, including "Battle for the East" (beginning in 1560), "Daimyo Power Struggles" (1560), "Ambition Untamed" (1571), and "Road Towards Unification" (1582). In each scenario, the player must allocate resources to raise a capable military force, provide a productive economy to support both military and civilian expansion, and support thepeasantsin order to sustain their respect and loyalty. Gameplay is taken in turns, with each turn in the map view corresponding to a season, and each turn during battle corresponding to a day. The player may achieve victory through numerous means, among which are forcing the enemy to retreat, destroying the enemy command unit, outlasting an invading force, or prolonging battle until the opposing force has exhausted its supplies.
The player can make many choices during the campaign. According to Evan Brooks ofComputer Gaming World:"One may transfer soldiers between fiefs, go to war, increase taxes (which causes a decrease in peasant loyalty which may lead to rebellion), transfer rice or gold to another fief, raise the level of flood control (which decreases productivity), make a non-aggression pact or arrange a marriage, cultivate (which increases productivity, but decreases peasant loyalty), use a merchant (to buy/sell rice, borrow funds, or purchase weapons), recruit for the military (soldiers or ninja), train the army (which increases fighting efficiency), spy on a rival, expand a town (which increases taxes collected, but decreases peasant loyalty), give food/rice to peasants/soldiers (to raise morale), steal peasants from rival daimyos, allocate military strength, recuperate (even a daimyo can get sick), turn over a controlled fief to the computer for administration, or pass a turn."[5]
Games
edit| 1983 | Nobunaga no Yabō |
|---|---|
| 1984 | |
| 1985 | |
| 1986 | Nobunaga's Ambition |
| 1987 | |
| 1988 | Nobunaga's Ambition II |
| 1989 | |
| 1990 | Nobunaga's Ambition: Lord of Darkness |
| 1991 | |
| 1992 | Nobunaga no Yabō: Haōden |
| 1993 | |
| 1994 | Nobunaga no Yabō: Tenshōki |
| 1995 | |
| 1996 | |
| 1997 | Nobunaga no Yabō: Shōseiroku |
| 1998 | |
| 1999 | Nobunaga no Yabō: Reppūden |
| 2000 | |
| 2001 | Nobunaga no Yabō: Ranseiki |
| 2002 | Nobunaga no Yabō: Sōtenroku |
| 2003 | Nobunaga's Ambition: Rise to Power |
| 2004 | |
| 2005 | Nobunaga's Ambition: Iron Triangle |
| 2006 | |
| 2007 | |
| 2008 | |
| 2009 | Nobunaga no Yabō: Tendō |
| 2010 | |
| 2011 | |
| 2012 | Pokémon Conquest |
| 2013 | Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence |
| 2014 | |
| 2015 | |
| 2016 | |
| 2017 | Nobunaga's Ambition: Taishi |
| 2018 | |
| 2019 | |
| 2020 | |
| 2021 | |
| 2022 | Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening |
- Nobunaga no Yabō(Tín trường の dã vọng,"Nobunaga's Ambition")is the first title in the series, released in March 1983. Written entirely inBASIC,it was compatible with a wide range of JapanesePCs.It has no subtitles. A remake of this game titledNobunaga no Yabō Returns(Tín trường の dã vọng リターンズ,Nobunaga's Ambition Returns)was released in 1995 forMicrosoft Windows 3.1,Sega Saturn,andPlayStation.An updated version of this for Windows 95 was released in 1996.
- Nobunaga's Ambition(Tín trường の dã vọng ・ toàn quốc bản,Nobunaga no Yabō: Zenkokuban,lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: Country-Wide Edition)is the second title in the series and the first to be released outside Japan. It was released in September 1986 for thePC-88SR,and then quickly ported to various Japanese PCs. A 50-province mode covering all of Japan was added, as well as revisions to graphics and gameplay. Releases forthe Nintendo Entertainment System (NES),Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES),Sega Genesis,TurboGrafx-16,PlayStation, mobile phones, Windows, and iOS were made subsequently. The U.S. NES, Genesis, and SNES releases were titledNobunaga's Ambition;the SNES version was released forVirtual Consoleon April 27, 2009, for theWii[6]and September 4, 2014, for theWii Uin North America.[7]
- Nobunaga's Ambition II(Tín trường の dã vọng ・ chiến quốc quần hùng vân,Nobunaga no Yabō: Sengoku Gun'yūden,lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: Tales of the Sengoku Warlords)is the third title in the series, released December 1988 for PC-88SR, then quickly ported for various Japanese PCs. Taking after theRomance of the Three Kingdomsseries, this game introduces the concept of "generals" to this series. TheTōhokuandKyūshūareas were removed. Releases for NES, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, DOS, and mobile phones were made subsequently. The U.S. Nintendo Entertainment System release was titledNobunaga's Ambition II.
- Nobunaga's Ambition: Lord of Darkness(Tín trường の dã vọng ・ võ tương phong vân lục,Nobunaga no Yabō: Bushō Fūunroku,lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: Records of the Generals)is the fourth title in the series, released December 1990 forPC-98,then quickly ported for various Japanese PCs (this was the last title in the series supported on 8-bit PCs). The scope was once again expanded to all of Japan, and technology, culture, and tea ceremony mechanics were introduced. Releases for NES, SNES, Genesis, PlayStation, Windows, and mobile phones were made subsequently. The North American SNES release was given the subtitle ofLord of Darkness.
- Nobunaga no Yabō: Haōden(Tín trường の dã vọng ・ bá vương vân,lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: Tales of the Conquerors)is the fifth title in the series, released December 1992 for PC-98, then quickly ported for various Japanese PCs. This is the first game with anexpansion pack.Battles were changed from taking provinces to taking castles. Releases for SNES, Genesis,Sega CD,3DO,Mac OS,PlayStation, mobile phones, and Windows were made subsequently.
- Nobunaga no Yabō: Tenshōki(Tín trường の dã vọng ・ thiên tường ký,lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: Chronicles of the Ascension)is the sixth title in the series, released December 1994 for PC-98 (the last of the series produced forDOSvariants), with ports forFM Towns,DOS/V,Windows, and Macintosh available later. Commands were executed based on units of power. Releases for SNES, PlayStation, Sega Saturn,PlayStation Portable,and mobile phones were made subsequently.
- Nobunaga no Yabō: Shōseiroku(Tín trường の dã vọng ・ tương tinh lục,lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: Records of the Star Generals)is the seventh title in the series, released March 1997 for Windows 95. This game introduces a new map, portraying the entire country on a grid. Releases for Macintosh, PlayStation, Sega Saturn,Dreamcast,PlayStation Portable,and mobile phones were made subsequently.
- Nobunaga no Yabō: Reppūden(Tín trường の dã vọng ・ liệt phong vân,lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: Tales of the Storms)is the eighth title in the series, released in February 1999 for Windows 95, with ports for Macintosh, PlayStation, Dreamcast, andPlayStation Portablemade later.
- Nobunaga no Yabō: Ranseiki(Tín trường の dã vọng ・ lam thế ký,lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: Chronicles of Turbulent Times)is the ninth title in the series, released in February 2001 for Windows 98. This game returned to province-taking battles, and the a system of varying powers was introduced. Ports forPlayStation 2,XboxandPlayStation Portablewere made later.
- Nobunaga no Yabō: Sōtenroku(Tín trường の dã vọng ・ thương thiên lục,lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: Records of the Blue Skies)is the tenth title in the series, released June 2002 for Windows 98. This game returned to castle-taking battles. It also became possible to play as a castle lord as well as a daimyō. Ports for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable were made later.
- Nobunaga's Ambition: Rise to Power(Tín trường の dã vọng ・ thiên hạ sang thế,Nobunaga no Yabō: Tenka Sōsei,lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: The Creation of the World)is the eleventh title in the series, released September 2003 for Windows 98. This game introduced castle towns and unified castle sieges. The administration screens transitioned to full 3D. A port for PlayStation 2 was made later; this was released in the U.S. asNobunaga's Ambition: Rise to Poweron February 5, 2008.[8]
- Nobunaga's Ambition: Iron Triangle(Tín trường の dã vọng ・ cách tân,Nobunaga no Yabō: Kakushin,lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: Innovation)is the twelfth title in the series, released June 2005 for Windows 98. The map and battles are in real-time, and the map is rendered in 3D. Ports for PlayStation 2 andWiiwere made later; the former was released in the U.S. asNobunaga's Ambition: Iron Triangle.
- Nobunaga no Yabō: Tendō(Tín trường の dã vọng ・ thiên đạo,lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: Roads of the Heavens)is the thirteenth title in the series, released September 2009 for Windows XP, with ports forPlayStation 3,Xbox 360andPlayStation Vitamade later.
- Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence(Tín trường の dã vọng ・ sang tạo,Nobunaga no Yabō: Sōzō,lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: Creation)is the fourteenth title in the series, released 12 December 2013 forPlayStation 3,PlayStation 4,and Windows. APlayStation Vitaversion was released in May 2015. A western version of the game had been confirmed as of May 2015 under the title ofNobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence,which was released on September 1, 2015, for North America and September 4, 2015, for Europe; It was released in PlayStation 3 as a digital release, in PlayStation 4 as a physical release, andPCviaSteam.It has also been confirmed that the western release will contain both English and Japanese dub. The game is a launch game for theNintendo Switchin Japan. A sequel titledNobunaga's Ambition: Taishiwas released on 30 November 2017.
- Nobunaga's Ambition: Taishi(Tín trường の dã vọng ・ đại chí,Nobunaga no Yabō: Taishi,lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: Enormous Ambition)[9]is the fifteenth title in the series and sequel to the 2013 gameNobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence,and was released on November 30, 2017, for Microsoft Windows,PlayStation 4andNintendo Switch.[10][11]
- Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening(Tín trường の dã vọng ・ tân sinh,Nobunaga no Yabō: Shinsei)is the sixteenth title in the series. It was released on July 20, 2022, for Microsoft Windows,PlayStation 4andNintendo Switch,and July 20, 2023 for the US.[12]
Mobile platforms
edit- Nobunaga's Ambition(Tín trường の dã vọng ゲームボーイ bản,Nobunaga no Yabō Game Boy Ban,lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: Game Boy Version)(1990), loosely based onNobunaga no YabōandNobunaga's Ambition II.
- Nobunaga no Yabō for Wonderswan(Tín trường の dã vọng for ワンダースワン)(1999)
- Nobunaga no Yabō Game Boy Ban 2(Tín trường の dã vọng ゲームボーイ bản 2,lit. Nobunaga's Ambition Game Boy Version 2)(1999), primarily based onNobunaga's Ambition.
- Nobunaga no Yabō(Tín trường の dã vọng)(2001), a remake ofNobunaga's Ambition: Lord of Darkness.
- Nobunaga no Yabō DS(Tín trường の dã vọng DS)(2006), a remake ofNobunaga no Yabō: Reppūden.
- Kuni-tori Zunō Batoru: Nobunaga no Yabō(Quốc đạo り đầu 脳バトル tín trường の dã vọng,lit.Province-Taking Brain Battle: Nobunaga's Ambition)(2008), containingboard gameelements.
- Nobunaga no Yabō DS 2(Tín trường の dã vọng DS2)(2008), a remake ofNobunaga's Ambition: Lord of Darkness.
- Pokémon Conquest(ポケモン＋ノブナガの dã vọng,Pokemon Purasu Nobunaga no Yabō,Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambitionin Japan)(2012), a crossover with thePokémonfranchise.
- Nobunaga no Yabō: Tenshōki ( tín trường の dã vọng ・ thiên tường ký, lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: Chronicles of the Ascension)
- Nobunaga no Yabō: Shōseiroku ( tín trường の dã vọng ・ tương tinh lục, lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: Records of the Star Generals)
- Nobunaga no Yabō: Reppūden ( tín trường の dã vọng ・ liệt phong vân, lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: Tales of the Storms)
- Nobunaga no Yabō: Ranseiki ( tín trường の dã vọng ・ lam thế ký, lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: Chronicles of Turbulent Times)
- Nobunaga no Yabō: Sōtenroku ( tín trường の dã vọng ・ thương thiên lục, lit. Nobunaga's Ambition: Records of the Blue Skies)
These were released in Asia (in traditional Chinese versions), with physical copies for both versions with and without power up kit, on top of the Japanese versions released.
- Nobunaga's Ambition: Tendou ( tín trường の dã vọng ・ thiên đạo ) (2012)
- Nobunaga's Ambition: Souzou /Nobunaga no Yabou: Souzou( tín trường の dã vọng ・ sang tạo ) (2014)
- Nobunaga's Ambition: Tenshouki with Power Up Kit HD Version /Nobunaga no Yabou: Tenshouki with Power Up Kit HD Version( tín trường の dã vọng ・ thiên tường ký with パワーアップキット HD Version) (2015)
- Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence English version was seen on various websites such as onPlay Asia,but not released.
- Nobunaga's Ambition:Souzou Sengoku Risshiden( tín trường の dã vọng ・ sang tạo chiến quốc lập chí vân ) (2016)
- Nobunaga no Yabō(Tín trường の dã vọng)(2013)
- Nobunaga no Yabō 2(Tín trường の dã vọng 2)(2015)
Online games
edit- Nobunaga no Yabō Internet(Tín trường の dã vọng Internet)(1998), an online battle simulation game for Windows.
- Nobunaga no Yabō Online(Tín trường の dã vọng Online)(2003), anMMORPGfor PlayStation 2, Windows, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.
- Nobunaga no Yabō(Tín trường の dã vọng)(2003), a blanket title for several mobile phone games.
- Hyakuman-nin no Nobunaga no Yabō(100 vạn nhân の tín trường の dã vọng,lit.Million-Man Nobunaga's Ambition)(2010), asocial network gamebyMobage.
- Samurai Cats(のぶニャがの dã vọng,NobuNYAga no Yabō,lit. Nobunyaga's Ambition)(2011), acat-themed browser-based online battle/raising simulation game.
Reception
editTheNobunaga's Ambitionseries has garnered several awards over the years. According toKoei's website, various releases in the series have wonLog-Inmagazine's "BHS Prize", the "Minister of Post & Telecommunications Prize", Nikkei BP's 12th, 13th, and 14th annual "Best PC Software" awards, andCD-ROM Fan's "Fan of the Year 2001 Grand Prize".[13]
InNorth America,where it was released five years after its Japanese release, critical reception was also positive. The game was positively reviewed byComputer Gaming World,where reviewer Evan Brooks gave it four stars out of five. He introduced the game as "a detailed economic / diplomatic / political / military simulation of the unification of Japan in the Sixteenth Century." He praised the graphics for being "among the best that this reviewer has ever seen for the IBM" and the 5x10hex mapbattles, and noted that it usedrole-playing gameelements, including assigning variousstatisticsto a selected persona, atime systemwhere each turn represents a year, as the daimyo ages and eventually dies of old age, and amultiplayeroption. He stated that he "thoroughly enjoyedNobunaga's Ambition",concluded with a" Highly Recommended "rating,[5][14][15]Compute!similarly praised the IBM PC version, calling it "one of the best strategic war games ever designed for a personal computer" and citing the gameplay, user interface, and documentation.[16]In the May 1990 edition ofGames International,John Scott called this program "One of the best strategy games around." He gave the game a perfect rating of 10 out of 10 for gameplay.[17]
The console versions had a more lukewarm reception. Reviewing the SNES version,GamePropraised the control interface and combat system but opined that the game essentially offers nothing to set it apart from Koei's previous historical simulators.[18]The magazine rated the Genesis version similarly, saying that "Like all Koei games, Nobunaga has an easy-to-use but detailed menu-driven interface that activates a load of complex commands."[19]
In 1996,Next Generationlisted the series collectively as number 34 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time", commenting that, "Lead designer Shou Kibasawa is a tactical genius who realizes that domestic and military strategies are interconnected, and that fielding armies can only be accomplished after building an infrastructure to support them. As a result,Nobunaga's Ambitionboasts a level of strategic complexity few other series can come close to matching. "[20]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Vestal, Andrew (1998-11-02)."The History of Console RPGs".GameSpot.Archived fromthe originalon June 8, 2009.Retrieved2011-01-06.
- ^"Koei History".Tecmo Koei.Archived fromthe originalon 15 February 2012.Retrieved19 February2012.
- ^"Nobunaga's Ambition Rekindled for PS2]".1up.com.1UP.com.Archived fromthe originalon 2011-06-29.Retrieved22 April2018.
- ^"Nobunaga's Ambition series tops 10 million shipments".30 March 2018.
- ^abBrooks, Evan (September 1988)."Nobunaga's Ambition".Computer Gaming World.No. 51. pp. 12, 34,48–9.
Nobunaga's Ambitionis a detailed economic / diplomatic / political / military simulation of the unification of Japan in the Sixteenth Century.... The graphics for Nobunaga's Ambition are among the best that this reviewer has ever seen for the IBM. While much of the graphics are composed of maps, the small touches reveal the craft that went into this product. Thus, when the daimyo distributes rice to the peasants, a vignette shows the lord throwing sheaves to the peasants who gratefully pick it up; as taxes are increased, the peasants flow with tears. When war begins, the screen changes to a 5x10 hex area for the execution of the battle. Terrain is effectively delineated as hill, mountain, village, river, plain, or castle; deployment is dependent on the route of invasion.... After deciding upon a daimyo, one must select a persona. Akin to role playing games, characteristics are composed of health, ambition, luck, charm, and IQ. Generally, one should reselect if any single characteristic is under 80 (especially luck and/or IQ; there is nothing worse than a stupid daimyo).... Each turn (year) is composed of four seasons, during which the daimyo ages (and will eventually die of old age). Each daimyo may accomplish one action each season for each fief he personally controls; these actions often affect other parameters of play.... This reviewer thoroughly enjoyed Nobunaga's Ambition.... Koei stresses that Nobunaga's Ambition is both a solitaire and a multi-player game.... Highly Recommended. This reviewer was glued to his computer for 13 hours, stopping at 3:00 am. Not sinceGunshiphas this occurred. The end result is that the computer gamermusthave, at least, one Koei game in his inventory!
- ^"Poker, Planes and Platform Games Fuel Players' Ambition".Nintendo of America. 2009-04-27.Retrieved2009-04-27.
- ^"Nintendo - Official Site - Video Game Consoles, Games - Nintendo - Official Site".
- ^Gifford, Kevin. "Nobunaga's Ambition: Rise to Power".Newtype USA.7(2) p. 118. February 2008.ISSN1541-4817.
- ^"New Nobunaga's Ambition Game Revealed for Switch, PS4, PC".Anime News Network.April 25, 2017.RetrievedMay 1,2021.
- ^"シミュレーションゲーム sử に xán nhiên と huy く『 tín trường の dã vọng 』シリーズの tối tân tác, 『 tín trường の dã vọng ・ đại chí 』がついに thủy động - ファミ thông.com".ファミ thông.com.27 April 2017.Retrieved22 April2018.
- ^"PV đệ 1 đạn 『 tín trường の dã vọng ･ đại chí 』".YouTube.3 August 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-12-13.RetrievedAugust 4,2017.
- ^"Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening - Official Announcement Trailer".ign.com.30 March 2023.Retrieved31 March2023.
- ^"KOEI Company Introduction".Archived fromthe originalon 2007-06-08.Retrieved2007-07-19.
- ^Brooks, M. Evan (October 1990)."Computer Strategy and Wargames: Pre-20th Century".Computer Gaming World.p. 11.Retrieved16 November2013.
- ^Brooks, M. Evan (June 1993)."An Annotated Listing of Pre-20th Century Wargames".Computer Gaming World.p. 136.Retrieved7 July2014.
- ^Randall, Neil (January 1989)."Nobunaga's Ambition".Compute!.p. 94.Retrieved10 November2013.
- ^Scott, John (May 1990). "Nounaga's Ambition".Games International.No. 14. p. 49.
- ^"Nobunaga's Ambition".GamePro.No. 58.IDG.May 1994. p. 118.
- ^"Nobunaga's Ambition".GamePro.No. 60.IDG.July 1994. p. 126.
- ^"Top 100 Games of All Time".Next Generation.No. 21.Imagine Media.September 1996. p. 59.
External links
edit- Nobunaga's AmbitionatMobyGames
- TheNobunaga's AmbitionseriesatMobyGames
- Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influenceofficial websiteArchived2015-09-01 at theWayback Machine(in English)
- Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence – Ascensionofficial websiteArchived2017-04-17 at theWayback Machine(in English)