Osman Cannon Dancer Game B

Mitchell Corp might not be a household name with most gamers, but the more astute among you will recognise the name from such hits as Pang, Puzz Loop and Polarium. Founded by former Data East staffer Roy Ozaki, the firm has enjoyed a very close relationship with Nintendo in recent years, with its last title — Tokyo Crash Mobs — coming exclusively to the 3DS eShop.

Speaking to John Szczepaniak in his book The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers, Ozaki has revealed that while Mitchell is still technically in business, the company has no longer has an R&D division and is currently looking for partners to license its back catalogue of arcade releases.

This list sadly doesn't include the aforementioned Pang, Puzz Loop and Polarium, but it does include some notable releases — including the unofficial sequel to Capcom's Strider, Cannon Dancer (AKA Osman). Strider creator Kouichi "Isuke" Yotsui produced the game in 1996, and while it was critically well-received and has since become a cult classic, it was not a commercial success and it lost Mitchell a considerable sum of money.

Yotsui has had no input in any other Strider title since leaving Capcom, and although he has produced games for other firms, his connection with Mitchell is still strong today — he was one of the main programmers on Tokyo Crash Mobs.

The complete list of games available for licensing can be found below, and contains some amusing titles:

  • Funky Jet (1992)
  • The Karate Tournament (1992)
  • Double Wings (1993)
  • Lady Killer (1993)
  • Demon Mirage Mahjong (1994)
  • Party Time: Gonta the Diver II (1995)
  • Diploma (1995)
  • Charlie Ninja (1995)
  • Osman / Cannon Dancer (1996)
  • Three Engraved Intentions (1996)
  • Gamshara (2002)
  • This Good Octopus (2003)

While Ozaki mentions "mobile phones, computers and other devices" as potential platforms for ports, we'd personally love to see the likes of Cannon Dancer and Charlie Ninja on either the 3DS or Wii U eShops. Would you be willing to lay down some cash for conversions of old arcade titles such as these? Let us know by posting a comment below.