ASCII Productions

''This article is about ASCII Corporation's video game logos. For their motion logos as seen on commercials and promos, see ASCII Corporation.''

Background
ASCII Corporation was originally founded by Kazuhiko Nishi on May 24, 1977, and it was developed in cooperation with Microsoft to create the MSX home computer system. During that time, in the mid 1980s, the company entered the gaming market to develop game consoles. In 1989, it established an American subsidiary Nexoft, but it was renamed in 1991 to ASCII Entertainment and spun off in 1998 as Agetec. In 2002, it was sold to Unison Media Partners, and the old ASCII unit was renamed to MediaLeaves, and the company was sold to Kadokawa Media Holdings. In 2008, it was merged with Mediaworks to form ASCII Media Works.

1st Logo (1980s)
Logo: On a green starfield, red bars slide in from the slides and bring up the red ASCII wordmark. The yellow byline "HOME SOFTWARE PRODUCTS" slides in below. After another second, the ASCII logo transitions into the green "HSP".

Technique: The bars.

Music/Sounds: None, but the opening theme would also play on a few games.

Availability: Extremely rare. Can be seen on various Sharp X1 games.

2nd Logo (1986-2000)
Logo: Just an "ASCII" in white font on a black BG.

Variants:
 * On early games, the logo appears within the game's title screen.
 * On several early Game Boy games, like Wizardry Gaiden I and the Japanese version of Ishido, the lines made the transition from the Nintendo logo.
 * On RPGMaker 2000, the logo would fade through black to the ASCII Tsukuru Series logo, then to the Digital Famitsu logo.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Common. Appeared on the game making software RPGMaker 2000, when you press the Test button. It also appeared on several console games from the period, like the Famicom games of Cosmo Genesis, Castlequest and Wizardry, the FDS game of Otocky, and many Game Boy/Game Boy Color games.

3rd Logo (Penguin Wars variant) (March 30, 1990)
Logo: We see a blank white background. After the ascending series of beeps, the ASCII logo on the black rectangle, slides down slowly, while a scared penguin is seen running around and then it goes away. The logo shakes when it is stopped, then the whole logo flashes rapidly with the color inversion effect.

Technique: Simple animation.

Music/Sounds: A loud menacing square-wave chord, an ascending series of chiptune beeps, then another series of loud, high pitched chiptune beeps that sounds like an alarm when the penguin runs around. When the logo shakes, a "Dong!" sound is heard, followed by a loud thunderclap sound when the logo flashes rapidly.

Availability: Only known to be seen on Penguin-kun Wars VS, another variation of Penguin Wars.

4th Logo (1992)
Logo: On a wallpaper full of ASCII logos, a ASCII logo trails in, and then the background turns white.

Technique: 2D sprite animation.

Music/Sounds: A chime theme.

Availability: Seen on the Super Famicom game of Daisenryaku Expert.

5th Logo (1992-1996)
Logo: On a black background, copies of the ASCII logo appear via a trailing effect, and a single copy forms the ASCII logo in white.

Technique: 2D sprite animation.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen on a handful of Super Famicom games, like Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstorm and Ardy Lightfoot, among others, as well as early Saturn, PlyStation and 3DO games.

6th Logo (1996-1999)
Logo: On a black background we see a picture of a silver knight on horseback carrying a sharp sword that is raised up. The knight can be seen standing on a dark yellow-ish surface, with a dark blue sky. The text "ASCII SOFT" in a futuristic font appears below the logo. A light passes to the top of the sword, as well as the horse, both for a second.

Variant: On SNES games, the logo is still, and the text wipes in below the logo.

Technique: Analog computer effects.

Music/Sounds: A shining synth with a Japanese male voice saying "ASCII!"

Availability: Seen on various SNES and PS1 games from the company (mostly in Japanese releases). Also seen on the PlayStation game of Galerians.

7th Logo (1997-2001)
Logo: The outlined red ASCII logo spins into the screen, placing itself into a closeup of the central letters "ASC", as we see light trails passing from the logo behind, and these dissapear making the logo spin out to the centre, as the letters fill with sparkling red. White gas then grows behind the logo and make the background fully white, and the logo changes into the trademark blue color.

Variant: On some games like AeroGauge, the logo is still.

Technique: The spinning, the lights, the gas.

Music/Sounds: Dark whooshing sounds and a droning airy synth during the 2nd half.

Availability: Seen on Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage for the Dreamcast. Also seen on several other games by ASCII, including AeroGauge.