America Oudan Ultra Quiz: Shijou Saidai no Tatakai

MISSING EU

MISSING USA

MISSING JP

Based on the massive NTV variety show, *America Oudan Ultra Quiz: Shijou Saidai no Tatakai* represents the pinnacle of the quiz genre on the Famicom. Released by Tomy in late 1991, this fourth installment refined the formula by blending high-stakes trivia with board game elements and light RPG-style progression. The premise remains strictly faithful to the television source material: a grueling elimination journey starting at the Tokyo Dome, crossing the Pacific, and traversing the United States toward a grand finale in New York City.

The game excels in its variety of question formats, ranging from simple true/false selections to rapid-fire buzzers and picture-based riddles. Unlike its predecessors, *Shijou Saidai no Tatakai* introduces more polished character sprites and diverse mini-games that break up the academic tension of the quiz rounds. Each city stop features unique challenges reflecting local culture, requiring players not only to possess a broad knowledge of trivia but also to manage their stamina meters. It remains a punishing experience for those not fluent in Japanese, as the timer is relentless and the penalty for failure is an immediate "Check-out" from the tour.

Visually, the title pushes the aging Famicom hardware with vibrant, digitized portraits of the show’s hosts and detailed city backdrops. The soundscape is iconic, utilizing the actual themes from the television program to drive home the authentic game-show atmosphere. While the trivia genre often struggles with longevity, this entry’s inclusion of a password system and a massive question bank gives it more replay value than most 8-bit competitors. It stands as a fascinating cultural time capsule of the early-90s Japanese fascination with American travel and media.

DID YOU KNOW?

The game features the digitized likeness and compressed voice samples of the legendary quiz host Tomeo Fukuzawa, who was famous for his signature "Victory!" shout and his dramatic, theatrical style of eliminating contestants.

72%

JOYPAD'S VERDICT

A definitive 8-bit recreation of the most famous game show in Japanese history that offers surprisingly deep gameplay and high production values. However, the extreme language barrier and regional specificity make it virtually unplayable for anyone without a mastery of Japanese.

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Sound Test Mode

On the title screen, hold A + B and press Start. This will open the internal sound test menu, allowing you to listen to all BGM and sound effects from the game.

Automatic Qualification (Password Skip)

While this game primarily relies on player knowledge, you can bypass the early Tokyo Dome rounds by entering the following characters in the password screen (note: requires Japanese character set knowledge):

へへへへへへへへへへへへへへへへへへ

Entering a string of the same character often glitches the check sum in early Famicom quiz games, starting you with default stats in later stages.

Hidden Developer Message

In the game's code, there is a hidden text string from the programmers that cannot be viewed during normal play. It is located at the end of the ROM data, often used as a "signature" by the development team at Tomy.

Infinite Thinking Time

GZELZPSP

This code freezes the countdown timer during the quiz portions, allowing you as much time as needed to look up answers.

Start with Maximum Funds ($10,000)

PAVUNLPA

Increases your starting capital significantly, making it harder to get eliminated based on travel costs.

Instant Correct Answer (Button A)

OXSAYZPV

This code forces the game to register "Correct" regardless of which answer you pick, provided you press the primary selection button.

Skip Qualifying Rounds

AAVOUPZA

Starts the game directly at the first US-based checkpoint, skipping the Tokyo Dome and flight sequences.

Player Score/Money (High Byte)

0540:FF

Set this RAM address to FF to maximize your current score/funds.

Freeze Timer

005E:3C

Set to 3C to keep the question timer locked at 60 seconds.

Current Round Stage Select

0042:XX

Change the value of XX (01-10) to instantly warp to different cities in America.

Correct Answer Indicator

0512:00

The value at this address changes based on the correct answer for the current question (00 for A, 01 for B, etc.). Monitoring this value allows you to see the answer before selecting it.

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