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[Forkball]

(one of the best game company logos)

Check Wikipedia if you don't believe me.

Ok, technically their 35th anniversary was yesterday because it's now Sunday in Japan, but still! HAL was founded on February 21st, 1980. They're best known for Kirby, Earthbound, and Super Smash Bros., but have dozens of other titles under their belt such as The Adventures of Lolo, Pokemon Stadium and Snap, Shigesato Itoi's No. 1 Fishing and more. They have some notable alumni, such as current Nintendo president Satoru Iwata who was president of HAL through most of the 90s.

And Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Dark Pit and Meteos

Not many game companies can claim to last even half as long as HAL, so hats off to them and for creating some truly unique franchises. It's hard to believe that a game where a pink sphere eats everything in sight could spawn a franchises that has sold tens of millions of copies.

So favorite HAL games? Of course, Smash is at the top of the list for me. Any under the radar titles?

 

[Ultimadrago]

Has there ever been a formal explanation for the logo? I've come to love it, but it still strikes me odd.

 

[Mr. Smiley]

And Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Dark Pit and Meteos

lol

Thank you HAL for supplying us the best Kirby games.

 

[Forkball]

Has there ever been a formal explanation for the logo? I've come to love it, but it still strikes me odd.

Stolen from the Kirby wiki:

The corporate logo depicts a dog similar to a dachshund incubating several eggs. According to a 2003 Nintendo Power interview about Kirby Air Ride, producer Masayoshi Tanimura notes that the dog is a fictional creation and that the team do not think of the dog as a dachshund. Tanimura explains that the logo represents deep thought into "incubating completely new ideas that eventually hatch into incredibly fun games".[

 

[m1000]

I didn't realize they developed Pokémon Snap, Pokémon Stadium. or the Sim games on N64. N64 era HAL Laboratory is pretty great.

 

[Empty]

heh i never realized they were named so that every letter was one step ahead of ibm.

 

[jblank83]

And Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Dark Pit and Meteos

Heh

 

[mstevens]

I've never looked closely at the logo. Always looked like a derp diglett to me out of my peripheral.

 

[TheMoon]

heh i never realized they were named so that every letter was one step ahead of ibm.

That ZombiU Iwata Asks sure gave some cool insights into even things not related to the game at all

I've never looked closely at the logo. Always looked like a derp diglett to me out of my peripheral.

Despite knowing what it is, when it's on a box I always see it as a mole looking out of a molehill.

 

[entremet]

Crazy thinking in hindsight the company behind Lolo is also the one who created one of the longest lasting fighting games ever.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Happy anniversary. Copping the new Kirb on WiiU soon.

 

[sörine]

They should celebrate by releasing Box Boy for us westerners. I'd also like a 3DS Lolo.

 

[Mailbox]

Happy birthday hal.

Keep making good games!

 

[EhoaVash]

Thank you for sakurai

 

[L Thammy]

Is it just me, or are they just a Kirby factory now? Not that Kirby games are bad or anything. They used to work on a number of things.

Also, who owns the rights to Metal Slader Glory?

 

[sörine]

Is it just me, or are they just a Kirby factory now? Not that Kirby games are bad or anything. They used to work on a number of things.

Also, who owns the rights to Metal Slader Glory?

They also did Face Raiders and Box Boy on 3DS, plus helping with Smash 3DS/U. Other than that it's been Kirby this gen (Triple Deluxe, Rainbow Curse).

I'd assume HAL owns MSG but it seems the story and characters were loosely based on an existing manga so who knows.

 

[Hero of Legend]

I didn't realize they developed Pokémon Snap, Pokémon Stadium. or the Sim games on N64. N64 era HAL Laboratory is pretty great.

Stadium was actually co-developed by EAD. In fact the director, Takao Shimizu, is the head of one of the EAD Tokyo teams.

 

[TheMoon]

Is it just me, or are they just a Kirby factory now? Not that Kirby games are bad or anything. They used to work on a number of things.

Also, who owns the rights to Metal Slader Glory?

They JUST released Hakoboi last month.

Behold and realize that nothing really changed for them: http://www.giantbomb.com/hal-laboratory-inc/3010-753/developed/

They also did Face Raiders and Box Boy on 3DS, plus helping with Smash 3DS/U. Other than that it's been Kirby this gen (Triple Deluxe, Rainbow Curse).

They didn't work on Smash 4 unless I missed something. The © credit is for the original concept.

 

[Rösti]

The logo in the OP is not the current version. The current version features different colors and typography:

Anyway, happy birthday HAL!

 

[Dunkley]

Happy 35th, developers of my favorite games of all time, hope we'll never entirely lose a company like you to the mobile market.

 

[Enforced]

Nice! Happy Birthday HAL Laboratory.
I hope they will make another Kirby Air ride. I enjoyed that on gamecube.

 

[woopWOOP]

Happy birthday to HAL!
Their two biggest created franchises, Kirby and Smash, are still two of my favourites today. They also made New Ghostbusters II, which craps all over the other NES Ghostbusters games.

Hope they continue to produce more great stuff

 

[Hero of Legend]

They also did Face Raiders and Box Boy on 3DS, plus helping with Smash 3DS/U. Other than that it's been Kirby this gen (Triple Deluxe, Rainbow Curse).

I'd assume HAL owns MSG but it seems the story and characters were loosely based on an existing manga so who knows.

Yeah but L Thammy is kinda on the nose. I mean Face Raiders and Box Boy are just two tiny things in a sea of Kirby games these days. Yeah this is better than when they had that horrendous trial and error hiatus between Air Ride and RtDL, but still.

I want SO BADLY for them to get back to Pokemon in any capacity. Pokemon Ranger 1 was their last one which was co-developed by Creatures who took over the series solo afterwards.

Edit: And of course, HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAL!!!

 

[Yuterald]

Keeping making fucking awesome Kirby games with rad tunes! Rainbow Curse is legit!

 

[marink]

Also responsible for the classic Metal Slader Glory

 

[Outtrigger888]

Keeping making fucking awesome Kirby games with rad tunes! Rainbow Curse is legit!

Rainbow curses soundtrack is incredible.

 

[enigmatic_alex44]

Happy B-Day HAL you bad mamma-jammas!

Let me celebrate by starting my playthrough of Rainbow Curse tonight! Didn't have a chance yesterday evening but this thread has inspired me to do so today

 

[Gonzo The Great]

Their logo is genius. I hope they never change it. Happy 35th birthday to one of the best developers in the industry!

 

[sörine]

They didn't work on Smash 4 unless I missed something. The © credit is for the original concept.

Just audio I thought, but I guess there's an argument that's less actual game development or support.

 

[NEO0MJ]

Happy Birthday to Hal., one of my favorite devs.

Is it just me, or are they just a Kirby factory now? Not that Kirby games are bad or anything. They used to work on a number of things.

It would be nice if they let them make an entirely new game.

 

[random25]

Keep going strong, HAL! One of the best developers in the industry for sure.

 

[ec0ec0]

All these years, they should have been making smash games instead of kirby games ;_;

 

[TheMoon]

Just audio I thought, but I guess there's an argument that's less actual game development or support.

Well okay if we count composer involvement.

 

[xir]

The logo in the OP is not the current version. The current version features different colors and typography:

Anyway, happy birthday HAL!

those little eggs should hatch by now.


are they eggs?

 

[L Thammy]

Yeah but L Thammy is kinda on the nose. I mean Face Raiders and Box Boy are just two tiny things in a sea of Kirby games these days. Yeah this is better than when they had that horrendous trial and error hiatus between Air Ride and RtDL, but still.

Beyond that, I think the non-Kirby games they handle now are pretty low profile. EarthBound, SimCity, Smash Bros, Pokemon Stadium / Snap may not have been HAL's properties, but they were all associated with an already successful series (or celebrity). I don't think Face Raiders or Hakoboi is as valuable.

those little eggs should hatch by now.


are they eggs?

I'd like to eat dog eggs.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

They also did Face Raiders and Box Boy on the 3DS.

Wait, that was HAL?

Cool! I played that waaay too much when the 3DS was new. So great...

 

[Lelcar]

Kirby Super Star is one of my favourite games of all time. Well done, HAL.

 

[L Thammy]

 

[Teknoman]

They made Arcana and Alcahest, but i'd really like to see them make a new RPG (action or first person of course). And with the usual composer.

 

[Tiktaalik]

Make another Adventures of Lolo game!

 

[Alo81]

It's just recently released, and I cannot recommend Hakoboi enough.

Brilliant puzzle game by Hal. If you have any way of purchasing Japanese 3DS eshop games, you definitely should. It's a delight.

 

[Dragoon En Regalia]

Make another Adventures of Lolo game!

Seriously. I'd buy one the minute it pops up on either of the eShops.

Let's celebrate the good 'ol HAL, where Iwata programmed games on calculators and such:

 

[Cosmozone]

My first HAL game:

Feel a bit old...

 

[Frecklestein]

Has there ever been a formal explanation for the logo? I've come to love it, but it still strikes me odd.

The maternal dog, representing the company, the nest is Nintendo and the eggs represent adopting these unique, different ideas (hence eggs, which a dog would not have) and nurturing them till they hatch (a game being developed and released).

Spoiler

I have no idea

 

[Nightbreeze]

One of my favourite NES games growing up - Air Fortress

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwL41Da9NMI

This thread reminded me of this great game, now I'll have the awesome music in my head all day.

Love HAL, great developer!

 

[Choomp]

Gotta love HAL! Smash, Kirby games, etc, some of the better stuff out there. Also, that logo, probably my favorite.

 

[BasilZero]

I love Hal labs !

Giving us Kirby and smash!

It's my birthday tomorrow as well!

 

[ukas]

Whatever happened to the Adventures of Lolo series? Some of those puzzles fried my brain as a child.

 

[protomouse]

Happy birthday HAL!

 

[Ivan 3414]

Give credit where credit is due bruh.

Sakurai created Kirby and that should be in the OP. >=(