Mindscape
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Logo descriptions and captures by EnormousRat
Background: Mindscape Inc. was a game developer founded in 1983, which was bought by Software Toolworks in 1990 and then relocated to California. In April 1994, Pearson purchased both companies under the name of Mindscape, and some other companies as their divisions, including Strategic Simulations, Inc. The changes for Mindscape came in the late 1990s, when it was bought by The Learning Company in 1998. A year after, both were sold to Mattel, and then to Gores Group. In 2001, French businessman Jean-Pierre Nordman retrieved the non-American assets of TLC, along with Mindscape from Gores, and incorporated it with former divisions of TLC and Broderbund as Mindscape SA. The new company focused mainly on family and educational titles, and its newer acquisitions included Montparnasse Multimedia (2002) and Coktel Vision (2005). In 2011, the studio was closed down.
1st Logo
(September 1985-1994)
Logo: We see the rectangular plate with three identical parts, each having curve cut in the form of hand-drawn letter "m". The later editions have the plate golden and relief.
Variants:
FX/SFX: Late 80s CGI, if any exists.
Music/Sounds: None or the opening theme of the game.
Availability: Common.
Editor's Note: TBA.
2nd Logo
(1994-2000)
Logo: On a purple gradient background with stars, a 3D relief plate rotates. It has two "hills" on a surface. Then, it absorbs the stars from background and sets rays down, where they create "MINDSCAPE". We can then see blue lines over the plate, and it also has a shadow.
Variant: There is a still version.
FX/SFX: The relief plate rotating, the company name appearing. Not bad for 1994!
Music/Sounds: A majestic trumpet fanfare and seven synth notes with two drum notes and finally two horn notes goes with it. A gong is heard along with a violin chord during the fanfare.
Availability: Uncommon. The still version can be seen on Alien Olympics, Chessmaster 5000, and Pac-in-Time. Later games have the animated variant, such as Lego Island.
Editor's Note: TBA.
3rd Logo
(2001-2011)
Logo: There are four white curves making it on the screen and folding into an outline of big red arc which has white letter "M" on it, and other letters are red outside to the right, together making the word Mindscape.
FX/SFX: The logo forming from white curves. Some games have it still.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Uncommon, as many of the games are not widely known. It appears on the ER game (based on the NBC series), some DS titles, and the trailer for The Ship.
Editor's Note: TBA.
4th Logo
(2011)
Logo: There is a redesigned version of the previous logo. The red arc is now to the left and the word MINDSCAPE is in a different font. The whole logo shines.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Seen on the company's last Wii titles.
Editor's Note: TBA.
Background: Mindscape Inc. was a game developer founded in 1983, which was bought by Software Toolworks in 1990 and then relocated to California. In April 1994, Pearson purchased both companies under the name of Mindscape, and some other companies as their divisions, including Strategic Simulations, Inc. The changes for Mindscape came in the late 1990s, when it was bought by The Learning Company in 1998. A year after, both were sold to Mattel, and then to Gores Group. In 2001, French businessman Jean-Pierre Nordman retrieved the non-American assets of TLC, along with Mindscape from Gores, and incorporated it with former divisions of TLC and Broderbund as Mindscape SA. The new company focused mainly on family and educational titles, and its newer acquisitions included Montparnasse Multimedia (2002) and Coktel Vision (2005). In 2011, the studio was closed down.
1st Logo
(September 1985-1994)
Logo: We see the rectangular plate with three identical parts, each having curve cut in the form of hand-drawn letter "m". The later editions have the plate golden and relief.
Variants:
- On Out to Lunch for SNES, the logo has waving animation.
- The last game, NCAA Football for SNES, used the slightly altered version of the logo, where the lines became golden and their framing was gone.
- The black and white logo was seen on early games.
FX/SFX: Late 80s CGI, if any exists.
Music/Sounds: None or the opening theme of the game.
Availability: Common.
Editor's Note: TBA.
2nd Logo
(1994-2000)
Logo: On a purple gradient background with stars, a 3D relief plate rotates. It has two "hills" on a surface. Then, it absorbs the stars from background and sets rays down, where they create "MINDSCAPE". We can then see blue lines over the plate, and it also has a shadow.Variant: There is a still version.
FX/SFX: The relief plate rotating, the company name appearing. Not bad for 1994!
Music/Sounds: A majestic trumpet fanfare and seven synth notes with two drum notes and finally two horn notes goes with it. A gong is heard along with a violin chord during the fanfare.
Availability: Uncommon. The still version can be seen on Alien Olympics, Chessmaster 5000, and Pac-in-Time. Later games have the animated variant, such as Lego Island.
Editor's Note: TBA.
3rd Logo
(2001-2011)
Logo: There are four white curves making it on the screen and folding into an outline of big red arc which has white letter "M" on it, and other letters are red outside to the right, together making the word Mindscape.
FX/SFX: The logo forming from white curves. Some games have it still.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Uncommon, as many of the games are not widely known. It appears on the ER game (based on the NBC series), some DS titles, and the trailer for The Ship.
Editor's Note: TBA.
4th Logo
(2011)
Logo: There is a redesigned version of the previous logo. The red arc is now to the left and the word MINDSCAPE is in a different font. The whole logo shines.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Seen on the company's last Wii titles.
Editor's Note: TBA.