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Ikari Warriors Publisher Passes On

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by Ben Reeves on November 16, 2009 at 12:48 PM
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After a lengthy battle with illness, businessman and civic leader Leland P. Cook Jr. passed away on Friday, November 6, 2009. He was 75. Gamers might find this significant as Cook was one of the founders of Tradewest, the now-defunct video game publisher that reached prominence in the mid-‘80s.

In 1985, Leland and his oldest son Byron started Tradewest, which initially licensed and marketed coin-operated arcade games, such as the top selling game of 1986, Ikari Warriors. SNK’s developers were so enamored by Cook’s likeable attitude that they changed the name of Ikari Warrior’s last boss from General Kawasaki to Colonel Cook.

As one of the first licensees of the Nintendo Entertainment System, Tradewest went on to produce classic hits like Double Dragon, Super Off Road, and Battletoads. Leland Cook has certainly left a lasting legacy in the video game world, and later in life, the horse racing industry, and our best wishes go out to his friends and family.

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  • by Monday, November 16, 2009 at 01:11 PM

    RIP sir. RIP.

  •
    by Monday, November 16, 2009 at 01:15 PM

    Double Dragon was a good game.  Sounds like he was a good man.  Didn't know the guy, but I woulda liked to.  May he rest in peace.

  •
    by Monday, November 16, 2009 at 02:09 PM

    Ikari warriors is an amazing game. I think I still remember the cheat code. Was it a coincidence or a tribute to ABBA?

  •
    by Monday, November 16, 2009 at 02:38 PM

    I owe him for Double Dragon, and the many, many hours of enjoyment my cousins and I derived from it. Hats off, Mr. Cook.

  •
    by Monday, November 16, 2009 at 03:42 PM

    Wow this guy helped raise me. RIP man. We will miss you.

  •
    by Monday, November 16, 2009 at 04:33 PM

    I remember Battletoads!  R.I.P

  •
    by Monday, November 16, 2009 at 05:58 PM

    RIP.

  •
    by Monday, November 16, 2009 at 08:06 PM

    RIP

  •
    by Monday, November 16, 2009 at 08:21 PM

    Wow. This is the guy who has caused me so much pain and deep satisfaction.

    For all the games I've ever accomplished, Ikari Warriors is the only game I actually GAVE UP on. Even with the ABBA code. I fought so hard, and got stuck in a pipe / scrolling screen glitch that even dying on purpose could save me.

    To Battletoads...after two full minutes of pure memorization...smacking a wall 100 times over with a hoverbike(?), and/or completely missing the jump onto land - and you know you landed it...another unforgiving game (which I completed)...

    And finally Double Dragon. Man, I loved those games. Double Dragon II for the NES was awesome. And Super Double Dragon was probably one of the most straight up ass kicking games for its time. I still play it once in a while.

    Rest in peace, man. I pray for an awesome Double Dragon for the DS by WayForward (the people who resurrected Contra). Next gen systems would be nice, but for what Double Dragon was - a side scrolling fighting game - that company would rock creating it they way it should be.

  •
    by Monday, November 16, 2009 at 08:32 PM

    Thank you Mr. Cook for many memorable moments standing in a dark arcade shooting my way through Ikari Warriors.

  •
    by Monday, November 16, 2009 at 09:30 PM

    ABBA... best code ever.  

  •
    by Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 03:51 AM

    RIP sir we will miss you...