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R.O.B.
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A picture of R.O.B.
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Release year:
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JP/NA: 1985 EU: 1986
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Manufacturer:
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Nintendo
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Compatible:
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NES
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Model no.:
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JP: HVC-012 NA: NES-012
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R.O.B. (short for Robotic Operating Buddy) was an accessory for the NES. It was designed for usage with the NES, and was compatible with only two games: Gyromite and Stack Up!.
History
Although only 2 games were compatible with this NES accessory, it played a much larger marketing role. After the 1983 North American video game crash, retailers thought that home consoles were dead, and when Nintendo presented the NES, nobody would buy it. However, by using R.O.B. and other accessories such as the NES Zapper, they convinced retailers that the NES is a toy, not a videogame console.
Appearances in games
Game
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Year
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Appearance(s)
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StarTropics
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1990
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Nav-Com's design is based on R.O.B.
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Kirby's Dream Land 3
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1997
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R.O.B. and Professor Hector from Gyromite appear in stage six of Sand Canyon. In the stage, Professor Hector asks Kirby to find the five pieces of R.O.B. to reassemble him.
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Game Boy Camera
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1998
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A Photo of R.O.B. appears in Album B (B26) exclusively in the international release
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Star Fox 64
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1998
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ROB 64, introduced in this game, is named after R.O.B. The character has since appeared in all future Star Fox titles.
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WarioWare, Inc. Mega Microgame$!
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2003
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R.O.B. appears in the Stack-Up microgame, in which the player must stop its arms in order to grab a set of rings.
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F-Zero GX
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2003
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The Famicom version of R.O.B. can be seen in the background of the Port Town Aero Dive stage.
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Pikmin 2
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2004
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The head of a R.O.B. appears as a treasure in this game, referred to as the "Remembered Old Buddy".
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WarioWare: Twisted!
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2004
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A R.O.B. is one of the items seen in 9-Volt's room.
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WarioWare: Touched!
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2004
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By shooting the 3D barrels in the Gunslinger microgame, a R.O.B. is one of the items that may appear.
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Mario Kart DS
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2005
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R.O.B. is one of the unlockable playable characters in this game.
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WarioWare: Smooth Moves
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2006
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In the Star Fox microgame, the boss the player must defeat is a R.O.B.
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Super Smash Bros. Brawl
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2008
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- Various types of R.O.B.s appear as enemies in The Subspace Emissary.
- An individual R.O.B. appears as one of the new, unlockable playable character in this installment. In The Subspace Emissary, this R.O.B. is the true identity of the Ancient Minister, the commander of the R.O.B. forces.
- Like in F-Zero GX, R.O.B. appears in the background of the Port Town Aero Dive stage.
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Tomodachi Life
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2013
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A R.O.B. is one of the treasures that the player can obtain.
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Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U
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2014
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- R.O.B. returns as an unlockable playable character.
- In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the Port Town Aero Dive stage returns along with the R.O.B. cameo.
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Super Mario Maker
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2015
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R.O.B. is one of the costumes that can be unlocked for Costume Mario, either by using the amiibo or by completing 100 Mario Challenge.
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Star Fox Zero
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2016
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Cyber-I's design is based on R.O.B.
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Star Fox Guard
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2016
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Two of the robot enemies (A.T.K. and Infernal A.T.K. Units) in this game are designed after R.O.B.
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WarioWare Gold
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2018
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R.O.B. appears in the R.O.B. Block Set microgame, based on Stack-Up.
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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
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2018
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- R.O.B. returns as an unlockable playable character.
- The Port Town Aero Dive stage returns along with the R.O.B. cameo.
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Controllers
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Add-on devices
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