Game system using game cards and game machine

A video game system for playing a video game providing video game play having animated graphics comprising:

• a plurality of collection cards, each visually portraying a figure of a character and including recorded data relating to said character including recorded data enabling animation and display of the character;
• a video game information storage medium storing a video game program to display at least some of the characters portrayed on said collection cards on a video image display device;
• a video game machine including a processing system for receiving therein said video game information storage medium to execute the video game program;
• wherein at least one of the collection cards visually portrays a character previously stored in the video game information storage medium and records data relating to the previously stored character including an identification code of the previously stored character and characteristic data of the previously stored character;
• wherein at least another one of said collection cards visually displays a particular character not previously stored in said video game information storage medium and includes display data recorded thereon for animating and displaying a figure of the particular character in an animated manner on the video image display device, an identification code of the particular character and characteristic data of the particular character,
• wherein one of said video game information storage medium and said video game machine further comprises external information reading circuitry for reading the identification code and characteristic data recorded on said at least one and said at least another one of the collection cards,
• said processing system being operable to
• execute the video game program based on the video game program stored in said video game information storage medium in such a manner so as to, when the identification code and characteristic data of the previously stored character are supplied by said external information reading circuitry, change a state of the previously stored character by adding the characteristic data supplied by the external reading circuitry to other characteristic data of the previously stored character;
• and
• execute the video game program and process the character data of the particular character, when supplied with the identification code and characteristic data of the particular character read from said external information reading circuitry, to animate and display an image of the particular character as a new character.

A video game card for use in a video game system including a video game information storage medium storing a video game program for animating and displaying at least some of the characters depicted on a plurality of such game cards on a video image display device, a video game machine including a processing system for receiving therein said video game information storage medium to execute the video game program;

• and external information reading circuitry provided in one of said video game information storage medium and said video game machine for reading data recorded in said game card, said game card comprising:
• a visually portrayed figure of a character for use in playing a card game,
• a machine readable recording of at least an identification code of the character and characteristic data related to said character, said characteristic data including ability data visually recognizably printed on said game card and hidden data not visually recognizably printed on said game card, and
• wherein said characteristic data is disposed on said card such that it can be read by said external information reading circuitry and used in a video game played on said video game machine to cause a visual change to a video image of an animated and displayed character dependent on progress of the execution of the video game program;
• and
• the machine readable recording also including additional data including executable instructions to be added to the video game program, the executable instructions being readable by the external information reading circuitry and executable by the processing system of the video game machine.

A video game system for playing a video game having animated graphics comprising:

• a first game card visually portraying a figure of a first character and including recorded data relating to the first character,
• a second game card visually portraying a figure of a second character and including recorded data relating to the second character;
• a video game information storage medium including:
• a memory storing a video game program for playing a video game related to said game card and initially storing data relating to the first character but not the second character, and
• reading circuitry for reading information from said first and second game cards, the read information from the first card enabling a state of the first character to be changed, and the read information from the second card enabling animation and display of the second character visually portrayed on the second game card during play of the video game as a new character;
• and
• a video game machine including a processing system for removably receiving therein the video game information storage medium to execute the video game program.

A removable memory for a video game system comprising:

• a program memory for storing a video game program involving cards;
• a data reader for reading data from at least one card including data enabling animation and display of a new character during play of a video game provided by execution of the video game program and reading data from at least one other card including data enabling a characteristic of a character which has been previously stored by the program memory to be changed during play of the video game provided by execution of the video game program;
• processing circuitry for processing data read from the at least one card to animate and display the new character during play of the video game and processing data read from the at least one other card to change an animated and displayed characteristic of the previously stored character;
• and
• a connector for connecting to a game machine having a processing system for executing said game program.

A video game card for use in a video game system including a video game information storage medium storing a video game program for animating and displaying at least some of the characters depicted on a plurality of such game cards on a video image display device, a video game machine including a processing system for receiving therein said video game information storage medium to execute a video game program;

• and external information reading circuitry provided in one of said video game information storage medium and said video game machine for reading data recorded in said game card, said game card comprising:
• a visually portrayed figure of a character for use in playing a card game,
• a machine readable recording of at least an identification code of the character and characteristic data related to said character, said characteristic data including ability data visually recognizably printed on said game card and hidden data not visually recognizably printed on said game card, and
• wherein said characteristic data is disposed on said card such that it can be read by said external information reading circuitry and used in a video game played on said video game machine to cause a visual change to a video image of an animated and displayed character dependent on progress of the execution of the video game program;
• wherein said game card further comprises additional data recorded thereon in addition to said characteristic data, the additional data including a mini-game program for playing a video game which may be added to the game based on the video game program stored in said video game information medium, and
• wherein the mini-game program recorded on said game card records a mini-game program for realizing a mini-game in said game card separate from the video game program stored in said video game information storage medium, and
• wherein said game card further comprises order data recorded thereon for rearranging parts of the mini-game program.

A video game system for playing a video game having animated graphics and for generating a display comprising:

• a plurality of game cards for use in a card game, each visually portraying a figure of a character and including recorded data including recorded data to enable animation and display of the character,
• a video game information storage medium storing a game program relating to game card character figures,
• a video game machine including a processing system for removably receiving therein the video game information storage medium to execute a video game program,
• one of said plurality of game cards recording, for an associated character visually portrayed on said one of the plurality of game cards, at least identification data and characteristic data relating to a characteristic of the associated character portrayed on said one of the plurality of game cards, said identification data and characteristic data of the associated character portrayed on said one of the plurality of game cards, when processed by said processing system, causing a change to a video image involving an animated and displayed associated character dependent upon the progress of said video game;
• another one of said plurality of game cards recording, for a special associated character visually portrayed on said another one of said plurality of game cards, at least identification data and characteristic data of the special character portrayed on said another one of the plurality of game cards, said identification data and characteristic data of the special character, when processed by the processing system, adding a video image of the special character as a new character in the video game;
• wherein one of said video game information storage medium and said video game machine includes external information reading circuitry for reading the identification data and characteristic data of the characters recorded on said game cards,
• said processing system, when supplied with the identification data and characteristic data read by said external information reading circuitry from said one of and said another one of the game cards, processes the characteristic data to apply a change to said video image of an animated and displayed associated character as a result of processing the characteristic data of said one of the game cards and the video game program stored in said game information storage medium and to add the special character as a new character as a result of processing characteristic data of said another one of the game cards and the video game program stored in said game storage medium.

A video game card for use in a video game system including a video game information storage medium storing a video game program for animating and displaying at least some of the characters depicted on a plurality of such game cards on a video image display device, a video game machine including a processing system for receiving therein said video game information storage medium to execute a video game program;

• and external information reading circuitry provided in one of said video game information storage medium and said video game machine for reading data recorded in said game card, said game card comprising:
• a visually portrayed figure of a character for use in playing a card game,
• a machine readable recording of at least an identification code of the character and characteristic data related to said character, said characteristic data including ability data visually recognizably printed on said game card and hidden data not visually recognizably printed on said game card, and
• wherein said characteristic data is disposed on said card such that it can be read by said external information reading circuitry and used in a video game played on said video game machine to cause a visual change to a video image of an animated and displayed character dependent on progress of the execution of the video game program;
• wherein said video game card also comprises a recording of additional data in addition to said characteristic data and the additional data includes a mini-game program for playing a game which may be added to the game based on the video game program stored in said video game information storage medium.

A game card for use in a video game system including a video game information storage medium storing a game program for generating at least some of the characters depicted on a plurality of such game cards on an image display device;

• a video game machine including a processing system for receiving therein said video game information storage medium to execute a video game program;
• and an external information reading circuitry provided in one of said video game information storage medium and said video game machine for reading data recorded in said game card, said game card comprising:
• a visually portrayed figure of a character for use in playing a card game,
• a machine readable recording of at least an identification code of the character and characteristic data related to said character, and
• wherein said characteristic data is disposed on said card such that it can be read by said external information reading circuitry and used in a video game played on said game machine,
• wherein said game card is machine-readably recorded with image data for animating and displaying a figure of the character, and said image data is read by said external information reading circuitry from the game card thereby to animate and display the character's figure in a game by said game machine;
• and
• wherein at least a portion of a game program, to be added to the game program stored in the information storage medium, is received via the external information reading circuitry as data representing executable instructions stored as machine readable recorded data.

A game card for use in a video game system including a video game information storage medium storing a game program for generating at least some of the characters depicted on a plurality of such game cards on an image display device;

• a video game machine including a processing system for receiving therein said video game information storage medium to execute a video game program;
• and an external information reading circuitry provided in one of said video game information storage medium and said video game machine for reading data recorded in said game card, said game card comprising:
• a visually portrayed figure of a character for use in playing a card game,
• a machine readable recording of at least an identification code of the character and characteristic data related to said character, and
• wherein said characteristic data is disposed on said card such that it can be read by said external information reading circuitry and used in a video game played on said game machine to control or change animation and display of the character play of the video game, and
• wherein said game card includes, in a machine-readable manner, printed dots distributed within blocks each of which has a predetermined area, and by printing the dots with different distributions, at least the identification data and the character data are machine-readably recorded on said game card to control or change animation and display of the character play of the video game;
• wherein the printed dots printed on the game card represent executable instructions of a game program to be added to the game program stored in the information storage medium.

A video game system for playing a video game and for generating a video game display having animated graphics comprising:

• a plurality of game cards for use in a card game, each visually portraying a figure of a character and including recorded data,
• a video game information storage medium storing a video game program relating to game card character figures,
• a video game machine including a processing system for removably receiving therein the video game information storage medium to execute the video game program,
• each of said plurality of game cards recording for an associated character depicted, at least identification data of the associated character and characteristic data relating to a characteristic of the associated character and for causing a change to a video image involving an animated and displayed associated character dependent on the progress of said video game;
• wherein one of said video game information storage medium and said video game machine includes external information reading circuitry for reading the identification data and characteristic data of the characters recorded on said game cards;
• and
• said processing system, when supplied with the identification data and characteristic data read by said external information reading circuitry from one or more of said game cards being operable to animate and display a video display visually portraying said associated character and for processing a video game program of the video game to cause the change to the video image involving said animated and displayed character by using said characteristic data;
• wherein said video game program to be executed by the processing system of the video game machine includes instructions obtained from at least one of said plurality of game cards to be added to the video game program stored by the video game information storage medium.

A video game system for playing a video game having animated graphics comprising:

• a first game card for use in a card game, said first game card visually portraying a figure of a character and including recorded data,
• a video game information storage medium including:
• a memory storing a video game program for playing a video game related to said first game card, and
• reading circuitry for reading information from said first game card, the read information enabling animation and display of the character visually portrayed on the first game card during play of the video game;
• and
• a video game machine including a processing system for removably receiving therein the video game information storage medium to execute the video game program;
• wherein the first game card has encoded thereon a first set of program instructions for execution by said processing system.

A video game system for playing a video game and for generating a video game display having animated graphics comprising:

• a plurality of game cards for use in a card game, each visually portraying a figure of a character and including recorded data,
• a video game information storage medium storing a video game program relating to game card character figures,
• a video game machine including a processing system for removably receiving therein the video game information storage medium to execute the video game program,
• each of said plurality of game cards recording for an associated character depicted, at least identification data of the associated character and characteristic data relating to a characteristic of the associated character and for causing a change to a video image involving an animated and displayed associated character dependent on the progress of said video game;
• wherein one of said video game information storage medium and said video game machine includes external information reading circuitry for reading the identification data and characteristic data of the characters recorded on said game cards;
• and
• said processing system, when supplied with the identification data and characteristic data read by said external information reading circuitry from one or more of said game cards being operable to animate and display a video display visually portraying said associated character and for processing a video game program of the video game to cause the change to the video image involving said animated and displayed character by using said characteristic data;
• said external information reading circuitry reads recorded data from said plurality of game cards, the recorded data embodying program instructions, and
• said processing system executes program instructions embodied by the recorded data read from each of said plurality of game cards.