Editing Caltron 6 in 1

{{Short description|1992 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Caltron 6 in 1
| image = Caltron 6-in-1.jpg
| caption =
| developer = [[NTDEC|Caltron Industries]]
| publisher = {{Video game release|NA|Caltron}} {{Video game release|NA|Myriad}} {{Video game release|AUS|[[Home Entertainment Suppliers|HES]]}} {{Video game release|BRA|Dynacom}} {{vgrelease|WW|[[NTDEC]]}}
| programmer = Shao Hwa Chiou
| composer = "Martino", "Ruth"
| platforms = [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]]
| released = 1992
| genre = Various
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]
}}

'''''Caltron 6 in 1''''' is a [[multicart]] developed and published in 1992 for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] in [[North America]]<ref name="GameFAQ">{{cite web|title=''6–in–1'' Release Information for the NES|publisher=[[GameFAQs]]|accessdate=2008-09-10|url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/data/925346.html}}</ref> by Caltron Industries, Inc. (credited as '''Caltron Ind. Inc.'''), a [[Taiwan]]-based [[video game]] company which was either closely related to, or simply a pseudonym for, [[NTDEC]].<ref name="geek">{{cite web|last=de Gruyl|first=Devin|title=Retro-Active: ''Caltron 6-in-1''|publisher=wayofthegeek.com|date=2008-03-09|accessdate=2008-09-10|url=http://wayofthegeek.org/2008/03/its-not-spideys-sinister-six-but-its-close/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516232915/http://wayofthegeek.org/2008/03/its-not-spideys-sinister-six-but-its-close/|archive-date=2008-05-16|url-status=dead}}</ref> In [[Australia]], it was published under the title ''Real Player‘s Pak'' by [[Home Entertainment Suppliers|HES]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nintendoage.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=NES.View&egID=16&lgID=4389&sID=1759 |title=NintendoAge » 6 in 1 Real Player's Pak |access-date=2010-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031005406/http://nintendoage.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=NES.View&egID=16&lgID=4389&sID=1759 |archive-date=2018-10-31 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Dynacom released the cartridge as ''Multi Ação 6-in-1'' for the [[Brazil]]ian market.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nintendoage.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=NES.View&egID=16&lgID=7937&sID=2945 |title=NintendoAge » Multi-Açäo 6 in 1 |access-date=2010-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031052339/http://nintendoage.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=NES.View&egID=16&lgID=7937&sID=2945 |archive-date=2018-10-31 |url-status=dead }}</ref> All the featured games, except Porter, were released as single game cartridges in Spain by Gluk Video.

As its title suggests, ''6 in 1'' consists of six different games in various [[Video game genre|genres]], which mostly are popular [[Video game clone|clones]] of the era. It is composed of: ''Cosmos Cop'', ''Adam & Eve'', ''Magic Carpet 1001'', ''Balloon Monster'', ''Porter'', and ''Bookyman''.<ref name="geek" /> These titles were all previously released as stand-alone [[Famicom]] format by [[NTDEC]], often under their U.S. brand Mega Soft.

The compilation has received poor reviews, with one reviewer claiming that all six games on the multicart are "uniformly awful [and] barely first-generation NES quality", even though they are more playable and are of "much higher quality" than other unlicensed video game compilations, specifically citing [[Active Enterprises]]' infamous ''[[Action 52]]'' as the comparative example.<ref name="geek" />

==Games==
* '''''Cosmos Cop''''' is a pseudo-[[3D computer graphics|3D]] into-the-screen [[shoot 'em up]] similar to [[Sega]]'s ''[[Space Harrier]]''. However, the game experiences a lot of image breakup on the screen due to the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES's]] limited capability of handling first-person scaling.<ref name="geek" />
* '''''Magic Carpet 1001''''' is a horizontal [[Shoot 'em up#Scrolling shooters|scrolling shooter]] that was later released on pirate [[ROM cartridge|cartridges]] as ''Aladdin III'', and with some graphical and sound modifications as ''Super Harry Potter''. Besides being the only original title on the cartridge, it has been criticized for its steep difficulty curve.<ref name="geek" />
* '''''Balloon Monster''''' is a [[Video game clone|clone]] of [[Mitchell Corporation|Mitchell]]'s [[arcade game]] ''[[Pang (video game)|Pang]]'' (''Buster Bros.'' in [[North America]]).<ref name="geek" />
* '''''Adam & Eve''''' is a single-screen [[platform game]] similar to ''[[Balloon Fight]]'' by [[Nintendo]] (itself based on ''[[Joust (video game)|Joust]]'' by [[Williams Electronics]]), in which the player has to kill snakes by bursting the balloons attached to their heads. It also received criticism in that had very little relevance to the [[Adam and Eve|homonym biblical story]].<ref name="geek" />
* '''''Porter''''' is a [[puzzle video game]] similar to [[Thinking Rabbit]]'s ''[[Sokoban]]'' and ''[[Boxxle]]'' (the first was created by Hiroyuki Imabayashi), where the player has to move boxes into specifically–marked places. Criticized for its controls; boxes can only be moved while holding down the A button, and if the B button is accidentally pressed, the level automatically restarts without any warning to the player.<ref name="geek" />
* '''''Bookyman''''' is a direct ''Brush Roller'' [[ROM hacking|hack]], the clone of another arcade game: [[Alpha Denshi]]'s ''Crush Roller'' (''[[Make Trax]]'' in North America and [[Europe]]), programmed by [[Hwang Shinwei]] in 1990. Both were considered inferior to their arcade counterpart.<ref name="geek" />

==Myriad version==
[[File:6in1myriad.jpg|thumb|''Myriad 6 in 1'' cartridge]]
When Caltron Industries, Inc. was going out of business, a company based in [[Kingwood, Houston|Kingwood, Texas]] named Myriad Games, Inc., bought all of their existing inventory of tan cartridges. Myriad then took the carts and added a very generic (no graphic art) label. They were then packaged in custom boxes with a folded manual. Each Myriad cart and box were numbered individually.

Myriad's only change to [[NTDEC|Caltron]]'s product was to replace the label with their own. In fact, the edges of the Caltron label are still visible, as the Myriad label is slightly too small to cover it. No programming changes were done, hence the game is exactly the same, including the title screen which still reads "Caltron". The six games on the cart are identical to Caltron's release.

Shortly after the release of ''6 in 1'', Myriad went out of business for unknown reasons. The game has become one of the rarest [[Copyright infringement|unlicensed]] games made for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]]. Collectors speculate that fewer than 100 copies of this game still exist, and even fewer are complete. The most valuable copies of the game are those with the box, instructions and cartridge with matching serial numbers. The lowest known serial number is 000003 and the highest is 000888. At least two sealed versions are known to exist.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gamesniped.com/2009/10/14/myriad-games-caltron-6-in-1-nintendo-nes/ |title=Myriad Games Caltron |access-date=2010-04-14 |archive-date=2009-10-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091018044403/http://www.gamesniped.com/2009/10/14/myriad-games-caltron-6-in-1-nintendo-nes/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nintendoage.com/media/elements_nocache/2E814016-B36E-7003-011629463F0B4F2D.jpg |title=Archived copy |access-date=2010-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929100644/http://www.nintendoage.com/media/elements_nocache/2E814016-B36E-7003-011629463F0B4F2D.jpg |archive-date=2018-09-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caltron 6 In 1}}
[[Category:1992 video games]]
[[Category:Nintendo Entertainment System games]]
[[Category:Nintendo Entertainment System-only games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Unauthorized video games]]
[[Category:Video game compilations]]
[[Category:Video games developed in Taiwan]]