Astro Boy (PlayStation 2)

Astro Boy is a PlayStation 2 game based on the 2003 anime, being combat-based and featuring flying segments. Would otherwise be unremarkable if not for the fact that it's made by Sonic Team. Yes, that Sonic Team.

Unused Graphics#

E3 Textures#

Found in the /root/COMMON folder is the texture meant for E3 presentations.

Interestingly, there's also a Japanese teaser pic in the US version of the game's files, not found in the original Japanese release.

CVM disc Notes#

In each directory of the rom, there's a CVS folder with three files noting entry file list with dates, project repository, and root

• /root/CVS/REPOSITORY
• /root/CVS/ROOT

mirai/disc_img/drivers

:local:m:\soft\people\mirai\win_cvsroot

It seems the internal project name for this was "mirai", roughly translating to "future".

• /root/CVS/ENTRIES

/.cvsignore/1.2/Fri Jul 18 06:43:32 2003//
/bgmM02L.adx/1.1/Fri Dec  5 04:26:05 2003/-kb/
/bgmM21L.adx/1.1/Sun Dec 21 09:27:42 2003/-kb/
/bgmY15L.adx/1.1/Thu Dec 18 03:47:30 2003/-kb/
/continue.adx/1.1/Fri Dec  5 04:26:05 2003/-kb/
/debug_model.md2/1.1/Thu Oct  9 22:40:27 2003/-kb/
/e_title_aokisi.adx/1.1/Thu Mar 18 06:29:44 2004/-kb/
/e_title_atom.adx/1.1/Thu Mar 18 06:29:44 2004/-kb/
/e_title_atras.adx/1.1/Thu Mar 18 06:29:44 2004/-kb/
/e_title_denko.adx/1.1/Thu Mar 18 06:29:44 2004/-kb/
/e_title_ocha.adx/1.1/Thu Mar 18 06:29:45 2004/-kb/
/e_title_pluto.adx/1.1/Thu Mar 18 06:29:45 2004/-kb/
/e_title_robita.adx/1.1/Thu Mar 18 06:29:45 2004/-kb/
/e_title_tenma.adx/1.1/Thu Mar 18 06:29:45 2004/-kb/
/e_title_uran.adx/1.1/Thu Mar 18 06:29:46 2004/-kb/
/e_title_yuko.adx/1.1/Thu Mar 18 06:29:46 2004/-kb/
/e_voice_31.adx/1.1/Tue Mar 16 09:54:12 2004/-kb/
/e_voice_32.adx/1.1/Tue Mar 16 09:54:12 2004/-kb/
/e_voice_33.adx/1.1/Tue Mar 16 09:54:11 2004/-kb/
/e_voice_34.adx/1.1/Tue Mar 16 09:54:11 2004/-kb/
/k_title_aokisi.adx/1.1/Thu Mar 18 06:29:46 2004/-kb/
/k_title_atom.adx/1.1/Thu Mar 18 06:29:46 2004/-kb/
/k_title_denko.adx/1.1/Thu Mar 18 06:29:46 2004/-kb/
/k_title_ocha.adx/1.1/Thu Mar 18 06:29:47 2004/-kb/
/k_title_pluto.adx/1.1/Thu Mar 18 06:29:47 2004/-kb/
/k_title_robita.adx/1.1/Thu Mar 18 06:29:47 2004/-kb/
/k_title_tenma.adx/1.1/Thu Mar 18 06:29:47 2004/-kb/
/k_title_uran.adx/1.1/Thu Mar 18 06:29:48 2004/-kb/
/k_title_yuko.adx/1.1/Thu Mar 18 06:29:48 2004/-kb/
/k_voice_31.adx/1.1/Tue Mar 16 09:54:26 2004/-kb/
/k_voice_32.adx/1.1/Tue Mar 16 09:54:26 2004/-kb/
/k_voice_33.adx/1.1/Tue Mar 16 09:54:26 2004/-kb/
/k_voice_34.adx/1.1/Tue Mar 16 09:54:26 2004/-kb/
/memcard_msgdata.dat/1.1.1.1/Tue Jul 15 10:45:17 2003/-kb/
/rubi.svr/1.5/Tue Dec 30 13:26:57 2003/-kb/
/start01.svr/1.1.1.1/Tue Jul 15 10:45:17 2003/-kb/
/start02.svr/1.1.1.1/Tue Jul 15 10:45:17 2003/-kb/
/time_up_game_over.adx/1.1/Fri Dec  5 04:26:05 2003/-kb/
/title.mlt/1.1.1.1/Tue Jul 15 10:46:26 2003/-kb/
/title_aokisi.adx/1.1/Mon Dec 15 09:41:22 2003/-kb/
/title_atom.adx/1.1/Mon Dec 15 09:41:22 2003/-kb/
/title_denko.adx/1.1/Mon Dec 15 09:41:22 2003/-kb/
/title_ocha.adx/1.1/Mon Dec 15 09:41:22 2003/-kb/
/title_plute.adx/1.1/Mon Dec 15 09:41:23 2003/-kb/
/title_robita.adx/1.1/Mon Dec 15 09:41:23 2003/-kb/
/title_tenma.adx/1.1/Mon Dec 15 09:41:23 2003/-kb/
/title_uran.adx/1.1/Mon Dec 15 09:41:24 2003/-kb/
/title_yuko.adx/1.1/Mon Dec 15 09:41:24 2003/-kb/
/voice_31.adx/1.2/Mon Dec 15 12:31:36 2003/-kb/
/voice_32.adx/1.2/Mon Dec 15 12:31:36 2003/-kb/
/voice_33.adx/1.2/Mon Dec 15 12:31:35 2003/-kb/
/voice_34.adx/1.2/Mon Dec 15 12:31:35 2003/-kb/
D/adx////
D/cards////
D/char////
D/common////
D/drivers////
D/effect////
D/ending////
D/event////
D/face////
D/light////
D/mapv////
D/msgv////
D/net////
D/s00////
D/s01////
D/s02////
D/s03////
D/s04////
D/s05////
D/s06////
D/s08////
D/s11////
D/s12////
D/system////
D/test_atom////
D/test_sound////
D/test_stmtn////
D/title////
/alltime_msg.dat/1.14/Fri Apr 30 11:30:46 2004/-kb/
/ep00_msgdata.dat/1.32/Fri Apr 30 11:30:46 2004/-kb/
/ep01_msgdata.dat/1.35/Fri Apr 30 11:30:46 2004/-kb/
/ep03_msgdata.dat/1.35/Fri Apr 30 11:30:46 2004/-kb/
/ep05_msgdata.dat/1.28/Fri Apr 30 11:30:46 2004/-kb/
/ep07_msgdata.dat/1.27/Fri Apr 30 11:30:46 2004/-kb/
/ep08_msgdata.dat/1.17/Fri Apr 30 11:30:46 2004/-kb/
/ep09_msgdata.dat/1.19/Fri Apr 30 11:30:47 2004/-kb/
/ep10_msgdata.dat/1.23/Fri Apr 30 11:30:47 2004/-kb/
/ep11_msgdata.dat/1.17/Fri Apr 30 11:30:47 2004/-kb/
/ulkjfont.dat/1.31/Fri Apr 30 11:30:47 2004/-kb/
/ep02_msgdata.dat/1.30/Thu May  6 11:25:43 2004/-kb/
/ep04_msgdata.dat/1.38/Thu May  6 11:25:43 2004/-kb/

This notes creation date for most core files in the US Rom. Development seems to have started in July 2003, with localization data added around March 2004 initially

• /root/MIRAI.TXT

2004/05/10/Mon. 15:15:19
0x002088a8 title
0x00209750 S00
0x00209920 S01
0x0022c5b0 S02
0x0022e760 S03
0x0023e7e0 S04
0x00260928 S05
0x0026af90 S06
0x00284158 S10
0x00290668 S11
0x00290948 S12
0x0029f530 Ending
0x002a5088 test_atom
0x002a6268 test_event
0x002a83d0 test_module
0x002a99e8 test_ptcl
0x002aa1e0 test_sound
0x002aabf0 msgviewer
0x002aac20 mapviewer
0x002ab0c0 test_movieply

This text list in the root directory seems to note debug functions.

Note: Japanese rom has fewer things listed, with date roughly 4 months earlier

2004/01/16/Fri. 20:31:02
0x00206e28 title
0x00207ce0 S00
0x00207eb0 S01
0x0022ab38 S02
0x0022cce8 S03
0x0023cc38 S04
0x0025ed80 S05
0x002693e8 S06
0x002825b0 S10
0x0028eac0 S11
0x0028eda0 S12
0x0029d868 Ending
0x0029dc20 test_movieply

• /root/TEST_SOUND/SOUND.TXT

65kaikaisokuL.adx
s01atom_theme.adx
s02atom_waltz.adx
s03DrOchanomizu.adx
s11skip.adx
s12S.adx
s14S.adx
s15battle.adx

This text list potentially notes files that would play in the music debug. Oddly, most of these files aren't in the directory (only 65kaikaisokuL and s01atom_theme are found in the afs containers, the latter not in the English afs).

Unused Models and Animations#

• /root/DEBUG_MODEL.MD2

Internally in the root directory there's a file with model primitives (cone, cube, cylinder, sphere, subdivided sphere, and vector).

• /root/TEST_ATOM

Files;

CVS (folder)
FACE_ANIM_TEST.YP
S97_CAMTEST.YP
S9999_TESUTO.YP
TESU_HAIKEI.YP

Files for testing texture animations and camera on Astro Boy.

• /root/TEST_STMTN

Files;

CVS (folder)
COMMON_BONE.BOP
COMMON_MTN.MTP
MIRAI_BONE.BOP
MIRAI_MTN.MTP
TEST_ATOM.MTP
TEST_STMTN.YP

Files for testing Astro Boy's motion animations. Note: Shadow the Hedgehog seems to use similar formats...

Regional Differences#

Intro#

The game's intro FMV was changed in the International releases. The Japanese version uses the anime's 1st intro, albeit with an instrumental of the theme. The international version instead uses the intro from the anime's English dub.

Music#

Several songs in the game's soundtrack were changed between the Japanese and International releases. In most cases, what were original compositions or songs from the anime's Japanese OST were swapped for songs used in the anime's English dub.

Notably, despite the effort put in place to revise the soundtrack, many songs throughout the game that used leitmotifs from the Japanese-exclusive songs were not altered or replaced at all.

Metro City (Day)

Metro City (Night)

Ministry of Science Director's Room (Day)

Ministry of Science Director's Room (Night)

Dr. Ochanomizu's Mansion Grounds (Day)

Dr. Ochanomizu's Mansion Grounds (Night)

Common Battle Theme

A particularly curious change, the unique battle theme in the Japanese version was swapped for a looped version of the English dub's intro theme.

Vs. Magnemite (Boss Battle Theme 1)

Vs. Atlas (Boss Battle Theme 2)

Vs. Pluto (Boss Battle Theme 3)

Vs. Blue Knight (Boss Battle Theme 4)

Vs. Big Rocket (Final Boss Theme)

Credits

Another curious change. The Japanese version uses the full instrumental of the anime's opening theme, which is swapped for an original composition in the International version. Said composition is noticeably shorter than the Japanese song, and does not last through the full credits sequence. A loop of the US opening theme is played following the International version's song to fill the space.