GameCenter CX (ゲームセンターCX), better known outside of Neo-Japan as Retro Game Master, is a series of video games developed by Ro-HAL Laboratory and published by Bloxtendo (Bloxtendo Stars, Inc. in some regions) since 1993.
The franchise’s age ratings depend, as they usually go from being rated E to T (some titles, such as Retro Game Pinball are rated E10+).
Premise
The core idea of the series is that the player plays as Shinya Arino (this name is used as the default name for the protagonist if one chooses to not name their character), a man in his 30s who one day gets a job at a company called GameCenter CX (which does not exist in real life), in which the main character has to play retro video games in order to retire from said company.
Games in the franchise
Main titles
- Retro Game Master (original, released in November 1993 in Neo-Japan and released in Robloxia in March 1994)
- Retro Game Master 2 (released May 1995 in Neo-Japan, released later that year in North Bloxmerica)
- Retro Game Master 3 (released July 1998 in Neo-Japan, released later for the North Bloxmerican market in January 1999)
- Retro Game Master 4 (released June 2003 internationally)
- Retro Game Master 5 (released August 2008 in Neo-Japan, Korbloxia, Robloxia and some Spanish speaking countries)
- Retro Game Master 6 (released December 2015 internationally)
- Retro Game Master HD (released in 2023 internationally, remake of the first game)
Spin-off titles
- Retro Game Challenge!! (released May 1995)
- Retro Game Challenge 2 (released January 1997)
- Retro Game Pinball (released December 1999)
- Retro Game Master Online (released January 2002)
Anime adaptation
Arino’s character design in the anime, archived from the 2011 Children's Avast Television website.
In 2001, a anime adaptation was produced by Bloxtendo and SNK Animation, it ran for 288 episodes before ending in May 2010 due to SNK Animation’s focus into working on Higurashi Daybreak; a dub of said anime was produced by Ro-4Kids Productions, Inc. and it originally aired on Neo-Japanese television through Fuji TV-West in 2001, while in Robloxia it aired through Children's Avast Television in 2003 to replace The Strongest Battlegrounds' timeslot (they still have the license to this day but only through reruns at night).
This specific adaptation of the series was popular in Robloxia enough that SNK Animation began commissioning for Ro-4Kids Productions to dub more episodes, the OVAs and specials in order to keep up with the demand for more media related to this version. also in this adaptation, the protagonist's name is officially recognized as "Shinya Arino".
In Robloxia, the series is rated TV-Y7, which means it is suitable for robloxians 7 and up but may contain some violence and other things unsuitable for younger kids., in order to have the series to be recognized by the audience, it was adapted into a 90-episode live-action sitcom series called "The Retro Game Master”, in which Shinya Arino is played by a Neo-Japanese/Robloxian actor (Yukiteru Satou).
Trivia
- There exists a board game based upon the game, however it is extremely rare.