Where did the idea of alternate color Foot Soldiers come from?

*CyberCubed* · 07-05-2010, 09:41 AM

From TMNT II onward, the games started featuring colored Foot Soldiers aside from the standard purple. The show never did this.

So where did the idea for Red, Yellow, White, Blue and so Foot Soldiers come from?

*Powder* · 07-05-2010, 10:17 AM

My theory is to clear away any visual boredom. I suppose they (they being Konami?) figured that slashing virtually the same character over and over again would get dull for kids with their short attention spans so adding a few more colors would bring variation. It could just be that a developer said "Purple? Why Purple? These guys need color!" but who knows?

***First of Two Latin Kings*** · 07-05-2010, 02:16 PM

I'm pretty certain it was the boredom factor. I enjoyed the fact that they changed the color up a bit, but I thought it was kind of strange that they used white for some of them, they always reminded me of the KKK.

*Ninjinister* · 07-05-2010, 04:22 PM

How about we try every f***ing beat-'em-up ever?

*ToTheNines* · 07-05-2010, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Ninjinister

How about we try every f***ing beat-'em-up ever?

If we were on facebook I would "like" that post.

*gobo* · 07-05-2010, 09:00 PM

First of all, it was the first arcade game forward. Secondly, I'm sure it was just a visual cue for unobservant kiddos not to get all hiney-hurt over the fact that they didn't know they had boomerangs/kunai/etc coming. Plus, you're right that it woulda been boring as hell if they were all the same color.

*oldmanwinters* · 07-05-2010, 09:09 PM

I absolutely loved the multi-colored legions of Foot! I was always embarrassed whenever I was killed by a pink one. But those spears they carried were deadly!

*Eiko* · 07-05-2010, 10:44 PM

I think it was a great idea to have different colored Foot in the game. Would be cool it they did it in the cartoons different color for dif roles.

*Ninjinister* · 07-05-2010, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gobo

First of all, it was the first arcade game forward. Secondly, I'm sure it was just a visual cue for unobservant kiddos not to get all hiney-hurt over the fact that they didn't know they had boomerangs/kunai/etc coming. Plus, you're right that it woulda been boring as hell if they were all the same color.

Yoooh-ooo? Am I invisible to you now? It's a staple of the genre brah! EVERY game in the genre has it. EVERY ONE. It's no mystery and it certainly isn't specific to the Turtles games.

Also I'm not certain which came first - the first arcade game or the first NES game (NES says May '89 in Japan whereas all dates I can find for arcade say 1989), but they did the palette swap in that one too, it's just not as prominent. The Foot Soldiers in the Technodrome fight were red. Then again, that wasn't a beat-'em-up, either...

Quote:

I was always embarrassed whenever I was killed by a pink one. But those spears they carried were deadly!

I remember you relaying this before, but I bet you $10 you wouldn't care what color the guy was wearing in real life. I sure as heck didn't. But that was a hatchet and not a spear.

*oldmanwinters* · 07-06-2010, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the ninjinister

i remember you relaying this before, but i bet you $10 you wouldn't care what color the guy was wearing in real life. I sure as heck didn't. But that was a hatchet and not a spear.

lol... TMI?:p

*Redeemer* · 07-06-2010, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

I absolutely loved the multi-colored legions of Foot! I was always embarrassed whenever I was killed by a pink one. But those spears they carried were deadly!

I hated those fnnn spears. LOL
But I agree as others said previosly. To visually help identify what foot soldiers with what weapons.

*gobo* · 07-06-2010, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Ninjinister

It's no mystery and it certainly isn't specific to the Turtles games.

Whachoo talkin' 'bout, Willis? O_o What non-TMNT-based beat-'em-ups had Foots?

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Ninjinister

The Foot Soldiers in the Technodrome fight were red.

Oh yeah. I forgeteded all about that. I believe the first NES game was released before the first arcade.

*Ninjinister* · 07-06-2010, 01:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gobo

Whachoo talkin' 'bout, Willis? O_o What non-TMNT-based beat-'em-ups had Foots?

What I meant is every beat-'em-up palette swaps the enemies. It's exclusive to the Feetsesses.

*Redeemer* · 07-06-2010, 09:22 PM

They should make a rainbow foot! LOL

*gobo* · 07-06-2010, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redeemer

They should make a rainbow foot! LOL

Something's awfully gay-bashy about that idea.

DonatelloDomeHead31 · 07-07-2010, 12:41 AM

On the subject of footsoldiers, I hated the yellow footsoldiers in Turtles in Time (not the ones that threw bombs) but the ones that threw those green boomerangs things and kicked you if you got close.

They appear in Skull and Crossbones and Starbase: Where No Turtle Has Gone Before.

**Jester** · 07-07-2010, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gobo

Something's awfully gay-bashy about that idea.

Come on Gobes, the Turtles aren't above Gay-bashing:

[end]Oldest joke evar.[/end]

Tuxedo Moroboshi · 08-10-2010, 07:42 AM

Ya know, when you stop to think about it... multi-colored Foot aren't much different from the multi-colored headbands that the Turtles have. I mean, in concept.

Patraw · 08-10-2010, 10:34 AM

There's a long tradition of pallette-swapped characters in video games; my guess would be that Konami was just following typical memory-saving practices by swapping colors to create "new" enemies out of existing ones. It's possible that the turtles' different colored bands might have inspired the move as well.

I still think Playmates was crazy not to exploit the situation and release craploads of repainted Foot Soldiers--I mean, toy companies just LOVE to sell you the same figure over and over again if they can get away with it.

*XERO* · 08-10-2010, 07:43 PM

I always thought they were Yoshis.

07-05-2010, 09:41 AM	#1
CyberCubed Overlord Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 43,878	Where did the idea of alternate color Foot Soldiers come from? From TMNT II onward, the games started featuring colored Foot Soldiers aside from the standard purple. The show never did this. So where did the idea for Red, Yellow, White, Blue and so Foot Soldiers come from?

07-05-2010, 04:22 PM	#4
Ninjinister 無問題 Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Moesko Island, WA Posts: 14,348	How about we try every fing beat-'em-up ever?* __________________

07-05-2010, 09:00 PM	#6
gobo Wacky Action Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: on Earth Posts: 12,784	First of all, it was the first arcade game forward. Secondly, I'm sure it was just a visual cue for unobservant kiddos not to get all hiney-hurt over the fact that they didn't know they had boomerangs/kunai/etc coming. Plus, you're right that it woulda been boring as hell if they were all the same color. __________________ Live and let live... or go to hell.

07-05-2010, 09:09 PM	#7
oldmanwinters Overlord Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Between yesterday and tomorrow! Posts: 15,501	I absolutely loved the multi-colored legions of Foot! I was always embarrassed whenever I was killed by a pink one. But those spears they carried were deadly! __________________ Experience the TMNT Fan Commentaries! Check out my TMNT fan comic, "Nothing to Fear"! View my sketch work! I'm selling some of my hard-to-find TMNT items!

07-05-2010, 10:44 PM	#8
Eiko Aussie and Proud Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Foot HQ Australia Posts: 1,816	I think it was a great idea to have different colored Foot in the game. Would be cool it they did it in the cartoons different color for dif roles. __________________

07-05-2010, 10:17 AM	#2
Powder 40 Years of TMNT Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Shell-Ri-La Posts: 26,955	My theory is to clear away any visual boredom. I suppose they (they being Konami?) figured that slashing virtually the same character over and over again would get dull for kids with their short attention spans so adding a few more colors would bring variation. It could just be that a developer said "Purple? Why Purple? These guys need color!" but who knows?

07-06-2010, 09:22 PM	#14
Redeemer Technodrome Technician Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: third earth Posts: 4,737	They should make a rainbow foot! LOL

07-07-2010, 12:41 AM	#16
DonatelloDomeHead31 Stone Warrior Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Helping Casey Jones fix the Pick-Up Truck Posts: 878	On the subject of footsoldiers, I hated the yellow footsoldiers in Turtles in Time (not the ones that threw bombs) but the ones that threw those green boomerangs things and kicked you if you got close. They appear in Skull and Crossbones and Starbase: Where No Turtle Has Gone Before. __________________ Donatello: Pork rind. Donatello: Yeah, a few inquiries. Donatello: Turtles don't migrate, Raph. Birds do! Donatello: Have you seen the way this guy drives? Donatello: 0.00000003%! Donatello: I don't know, but it doesn't look good...

08-10-2010, 07:42 AM	#18
Tuxedo Moroboshi Mad Scientist Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Battle Nexus Posts: 1,127	Ya know, when you stop to think about it... multi-colored Foot aren't much different from the multi-colored headbands that the Turtles have. I mean, in concept. __________________ Hey, be sure to check out my art! Last edited by Tuxedo Moroboshi; 08-11-2010 at 09:29 AM. Reason: I was half-asleep and eff'd up my grammar.

08-10-2010, 10:34 AM	#19
Patraw Stone Warrior Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 689	There's a long tradition of pallette-swapped characters in video games; my guess would be that Konami was just following typical memory-saving practices by swapping colors to create "new" enemies out of existing ones. It's possible that the turtles' different colored bands might have inspired the move as well. I still think Playmates was crazy not to exploit the situation and release craploads of repainted Foot Soldiers--I mean, toy companies just LOVE to sell you the same figure over and over again if they can get away with it. __________________

08-10-2010, 07:43 PM	#20
XERO Hybrid Theorist Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Alamo City Posts: 8,185	I always thought they were Yoshis. __________________ "Travel at the speed of light... then hit the nitro!"