NES/Famicom Appreciation and Collecting thread: This is where it all started

[Morfeo]

The Nes, or Famicom as it was known in Japan, might be the most iconic video game system of all time, not only being the premier console to be revived by Nintendos Classic line, and a favored machine for the indie retro revival we have seen the last ten years, but it also has the most high-profile collector scene, and its graphics and music have even entered into mainstream culture. This is the place to discuss the machine, its games and its history - and of course also collecting for it. We might even restart the game club eventually if there is interest. No matter your interest in this awesome machine - this is the place to share and discuss it.

Release Date:
Japan: July 15th 1983.
NA: October 18, 1985
Europe: From 1987

Getting the best image quality from the Nes
The Famicom originally only supported rf, which unfortunately looks terrible. The Nes on the other hand, got support for composite which is slightly better, but still not really satisfactory. To get a decent image out of original hardware, you will probably want to at least get a pretty tricky mod, for instance etims excellent nes-rgb board. Together with either a high quality crt or an upscaler like the Framemeister, you will get those awesome razor sharp pixels we all know and love. Check out My life in gaming video for a more indepth explanation.

 

[Morfeo]

Lol of course i got a typo in the thread title. Anyways, if people have suggestions for information for the opening post, just tell me and i will add it. Also thanks to Teknoman for creating the original thread on gaf, and the image.

 

[Lothar]

Fuck yeah. Thank you all for waging rebellion on my behalf after I got banned.

At least that gave me a way out of trying to beat Life Force and Ninja Gaiden 3. Which was not going well!

 

[Morfeo]

Nice to see you again Lothar!

 

[Gimpy]

I used to be super into collecting for the NES, but it's just gotten too expensive now (same for SNES really). I feel like I've gotten a decent sized collection now with most game's I'd want to own, give or take a couple. It's definitely the one I have the most nostalgia for though, my first console was a Colecovision, but the NES was where I properly fell in love with games I think - couple of pics of the NES part of my collection

I also have a Famicom - I don't have too many games for it, just the handful you see there and then a couple of multicarts. I lost the one FDS game I had in a move, so I don't know if the Disk System itself works, as I never got around to testing it. I suspect the belt probably needs replacing

Some of the knock off carts you see are so funny, the cover art they come up with is jokes - for example:

I am pretty sure the cart is just a bog standard multi-cart and doesn't have either a Last Action Hero or a Terminator game even on it, haha

 

[Lothar]

Fav Nes Games

1. Zelda, 2. Battletoads, 3. Dragon Quest 4, 4. Mega Man 3, 5. Blaster Master, 6. Super Mario Bros 3, 7. Ninja Gaiden 2, 8. Contra, 9. Bubble Bobble, 10. Zelda 2, 11. Metroid, 12. Mega Man 2, 13. Double Dragon 2, 14. Kirby's Adventure, 15. Mega Man 4, 16. Castlevania 2, 17. Super Mario Bros 2, 18. Startropics 2, 19. Duck Tales, 20. Super C, 21. Castlevania, 22. Mike Tyson's Punch Out, 23. Shadowgate, 24. Kid Icarus, 25. Deja Vu

I do love hard games. SMB3 doesn't give me the replay value that Battletoads and Blaster Master do for those wondering why it's lower. Mega Man 2 and Kirby are a bit too easy as well.

 

[Deleted member 7130]

Ah , yes. My Punchout and TMNT machine. :P

 

[Gozert]

I'm planning to do a revisit to every system I've ever had an interest in, starting with the NES. I'm trying to make a list of at least 10 and at most 25 games for each system that were iconic for the system with the intent of playing through these lists in chronological order to somewhat recapture the spirit of these classic systems. The games don't necessarily have to be the best of the best, but rather be the most representative of during the lifespan of these consoles. Of course there are some obvious picks for a NES list like this, but I also wanted to ask ResetEra what games you think are great candidates (or even musts) for a list like this.

Currently these are the ones I am pretty much sure of that will make the final list:

• Castlevania
• Contra (a.k.a. Probotector)
• Duck Hunt
• Mega Man 2
• Metroid
• Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
• Super Mario Bros.
• Super Mario Bros. 3
• The Legend of Zelda

I also feel there should be at least one game for every "big" genre on the system, so I should probably have a beat 'em up (Double Dragon or River City Ransom/Street Gangs perhaps?) and maybe a sports game. A TMNT game should probably also be included, I guess but I'm a bit torn between the first and second.

Anyway, any suggestions are welcome! :)

 

[Deleted member 1162]

i like nes

 

[woodypop]

It would be cool to go back in time and experience the introduction of the NES again. It had such a huge impact on revitalizing home video games, not just in general, but for me personally. I had played the previous gen systems (Atari 2600, Intellivision, Colecovision, etc.), but the NES and its games were such a big step forward.

I remember getting the basic set for Christmas, along with Ghosts 'n Goblins. I actually asked for GnG because I'd played it at an arcade in Disneyland earlier in the year. Then came the likes of The Legend of Zelda, Contra, Legendary Wings, Castlevania, Jackal, Ninja Gaiden, Double Dragon, etc. Trading games with friends/schoolmates, and renting from the neighborhood video stores became regular rituals.

Stupidly, I sold it soon after I got my SEGA Genesis, thinking I'd never look back at 8-bit (ha!). On the upside, it went to a couple of foreign exchange students from Brazil. Knowing now how expensive gaming can be in Brazil, it makes sense how they were so eager to buy it from me.

 

[Epinephrine]

I'm planning to do a revisit to every system I've ever had an interest in, starting with the NES. I'm trying to make a list of at least 10 and at most 25 games for each system that were iconic for the system with the intent of playing through these lists in chronological order to somewhat recapture the spirit of these classic systems. The games don't necessarily have to be the best of the best, but rather be the most representative of during the lifespan of these consoles. Of course there are some obvious picks for a NES list like this, but I also wanted to ask ResetEra what games you think are great candidates (or even musts) for a list like this.

Currently these are the ones I am pretty much sure of that will make the final list:

• Castlevania
• Contra (a.k.a. Probotector)
• Duck Hunt
• Mega Man 2
• Metroid
• Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
• Super Mario Bros.
• Super Mario Bros. 3
• The Legend of Zelda

I also feel there should be at least one game for every "big" genre on the system, so I should probably have a beat 'em up (Double Dragon or River City Ransom/Street Gangs perhaps?) and maybe a sports game. A TMNT game should probably also be included, I guess but I'm a bit torn between the first and second.

Anyway, any suggestions are welcome! :)

Click to shrink...

Honestly, I'd be happy to work together to create a list like that for a 2018 monthly play through and dicussion. It might be fun to try to create two lists, one for iconic and one for under the radar / underappreciated and do two a month. Considering the play time for NES games, it wouldn't be terribly hard and the sheer volume of games in the catalog would provide variety.

As for your list, I'm going to get back to you on that. I'd go Double Dragon II if you wanted a pick from that series (RCR is the better gang, DDII is more iconic). I think your idea of trying to represent every genre is actually pretty fun. I'd be happy to help organize some community polling in order to try to work that out for the NES and move on to other consoles from there.

Plus, it'll generate some decent discussion (read: arguements) over the definiton of genres.

 

[Megadragon15]

I wish the top loading NES had something better than just RF output (without modding it).

 

[Gozert]

Honestly, I'd be happy to work together to create a list like that for a 2018 monthly play through and dicussion. It might be fun to try to create two lists, one for iconic and one for under the radar / underappreciated and do two a month. Considering the play time for NES games, it wouldn't be terribly hard and the sheer volume of games in the catalog would provide variety.

As for your list, I'm going to get back to you on that. I'd go Double Dragon II if you wanted a pick from that series (RCR is the better gang, DDII is more iconic). I think your idea of trying to represent every genre is actually pretty fun. I'd be happy to help organize some community polling in order to try to work that out for the NES and move on to other consoles from there.

Plus, it'll generate some decent discussion (read: arguements) over the definiton of genres.

Click to shrink...

That would be awesome. I'm not new to the NES library at all, but there are a lot of hard choices to be made when making a list like this that isn't 30+ games long. So, yes, this could result in some heated discussion. Not only is there a lot of nostalgia and personal preference involved, but also regional differences. For example, Tecmo Bowl and its sequel were pretty big in the USA as far as I can tell, but the premier NES sports game over here was Nintendo World Cup (even included in 3-in-1 cartrdiges along with Super Mario Bros. and Tetris that came bundled with some NES systems).

 

[Epinephrine]

That would be awesome. I'm not new to the NES library at all, but there are a lot of hard choices to be made when making a list like this that isn't 30+ games long. So, yes, this could result in some heated discussion. Not only is there a lot of nostalgia and personal preference involved, but also regional differences. For example, Tecmo Bowl and its sequel were pretty big in the USA as far as I can tell, but the premier NES sports game over here was Nintendo World Cup (even included in 3-in-1 cartrdiges along with Super Mario Bros. and Tetris that came bundled with some NES systems).

Click to shrink...

Good point about regional differences, but that could also lead to some really interesting inclusions or, depending on the number of members that get roped, it could be more of a chart that includes each region.

I'm pretty familiar with the NA region. At best my collection was about 160 unique carts, so nothing nuts but I'm no casual either. I'd love to really get a peak into what people who grew up in other regions enjoyed best.

 

[Epinephrine]

I wish the top loading NES had something better than just RF output (without modding it).

Click to shrink...

Agreed. And I honestly can't say I've ever been a fan of the dog bone controller.

 

[Rich]

Been playing some CV3 recently (specifically the translation plus improved controls patch for the JP version which allows changing direction mid jump and jumping off stairs). I've got an AV Famicom that I RGB modded myself:

I also changed the resistors on the audio line of the main board to balance out the expansion audio. It was particularly bad with my actual JP CV3 cart - couldn't hear the drums at all to begin with. It sounds perfect now, as does my FDS.

 

[Epinephrine]

Been playing some CV3 recently (specifically the translation plus improved controls patch for the JP version which allows changing direction mid jump and jumping off stairs). I've got an AV Famicom that I RGB modded myself:

I also changed the resistors on the audio line of the main board to balance out the expansion audio. It was particularly bad with my actual JP CV3 cart - couldn't hear the drums at all to begin with. It sounds perfect now, as does my FDS.

Click to shrink...

That looks beautiful. Really cool about the mods, something I'd like to get into in the future.

What kind of JVC monitor (assuming it's something from a studio / professional monitor) and where did you pick that up?

 

[Rich]

That looks beautiful. Really cool about the mods, something I'd like to get into in the future.

What kind of JVC monitor (assuming it's something from a studio / professional monitor) and where did you pick that up?

Click to shrink...

Thanks!

It's a JVC 19" professional CRT monitor. I got it for £25 on ebay. It didn't have RGB input as standard so I built an input for RGB myself: https://richretro.wordpress.com/2017/07/23/jvc-tm-h1950cg-rgb-mod/

Was definitely worth it. It's an absolutely fantastic monitor. 800 line resolution (meaning awesome clarity and scanlines), perfect geometry and obviously zero lag. Also, it was manufactured in July 2007 and only purchased a couple of years after so it's got very little usage.

A couple of other photos of my RGB Famicom on the JVC (for what it's worth, I installed the NESRGB myself) :

And one bonus Saturn image:

 

[Gozert]

This is retro gaming porn.

 

[exo]

This will probably end up being my favourite thread here. First one I'm turning email notifications on for.

Spoiler: spoilered for sappy life story

I've been collecting NES for exactly 10 years last month. It's a very important hobby to me; one of my elder cousins gave me his childhood collection when he learned I had an interest for NES games, and sadly died of brain cancer in his mid-twenties a few years later. So, I have a pretty strong and visceral connection to the console; since he didn't have much time to spend with a much younger relative, it was one of the few things we shared. In fact, now that I think of it, it was him who let me play Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt at the age of 3 -- my very first video gaming experience. I still have his console, but I play on a separate modded one, and keep his on a shelf rather than use it. Same goes for his Game Boy Pocket.

Anyhow, how many games do you all have? I have mine posted on my website. I think I'm at around 338 or so, I really need to update it: https://exosilver.neocities.org/nes.html

Also, what one item in your collection would you consider your "holy grail"?

 

[Morfeo]

Those picks are pure sex

 

[Shinriji]

It is hard to replace the 72 pin contact from a US NES? Is soldering skills required?

 

[exo]

It is hard to replace the 72 pin contact from a US NES? Is soldering skills required?

Click to shrink...

It's very, very easy. All you need is a Phillips screwdriver.

 

[Deleted member 1162]

is any playing any nes titles recently? i still love kung fu
and throw in some trojan for fun.

 

[exo]

is any playing any nes titles recently? i still love kung fu
and throw in some trojan for fun.

Click to shrink...

Been playing Terra Cresta and Mendel Palace lately. Just ordered a copy of Felix the Cat last night, so I'll be playing a lot of that in the near future.

 

[Beartruck]

is any playing any nes titles recently? i still love kung fu
and throw in some trojan for fun.

Click to shrink...

I've been on a 16-bit kick recently, but I do have to go back and finish Totally Rad.

 

[Gozert]

is any playing any nes titles recently? i still love kung fu
and throw in some trojan for fun.

Click to shrink...

Since Super Mario Odyssey came out, my retro gaming has been put on a halt, really. I did play some Castlevania, DuckTales and Tetris just before that, though. I've recently also been watching a lot Classic Tetris World Championship video's. That stuff is mesmerizing.

 

[foobarry81]

So I received a fairly large shipment from Japan about a week ago, and in it were a few consoles, including this one.
It's the first Famicom/NES I've ever owned. The (replacement) power supply only came in today, so I haven't had time to test the console yet. Got some cheap games to test it too.

 

[exo]

So I received a fairly large shipment from Japan about a week ago, and in it were a few consoles, including this one.
It's the first Famicom/NES I've ever owned. The (replacement) power supply only came in today, so I haven't had time to test the console yet. Got some cheap games to test it too.

Click to shrink...

Oh my god!!! I love your Famicom Twin! What are the other games, if you don't mind me asking? I'm super interested in other peoples' Fami-collections, haha.

Also that Dino-Riki art in front is way better than the US release:

 

[Force_XXI]

So I received a fairly large shipment from Japan about a week ago, and in it were a few consoles, including this one.
It's the first Famicom/NES I've ever owned. The (replacement) power supply only came in today, so I haven't had time to test the console yet. Got some cheap games to test it too.

Click to shrink...

Famicom carts are so good!! Too bad i live where we only got the big old grey ones, i knew nothing about importing back in the day. :(

 

[foobarry81]

Oh my god!!! I love your Famicom Twin! What are the other games, if you don't mind me asking? I'm super interested in other peoples' Fami-collections, haha.

Click to shrink...

The other games are nothing special. All $1 games really. More to test the console than anything else.
- Exed Exes
- Gegege no Kitarou: Youkai Daimakyou
- Dragon Ball: Shenron no Nazo
- Saint Seiya: Ougon Densetsu
- Tiny Toon Adventures
- Super Chinese 2: Dragon Kid
- U.S. Championship V'Ball
- Sky Destroyer
and then Shin Jinrui aka DinoRiki

The FDS game is Dead Zone.

 

[BPHusker]

It is hard to replace the 72 pin contact from a US NES? Is soldering skills required?

Click to shrink...

Not at all. It's super easy.

 

[Epinephrine]

I'm looking to play an NES game tonight, preferably something that can be completed in 4 hours or less.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Right now Little Samson is a possibility.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Holy Diver getting a NES release courtesy of Retro-Bit. Any froth?

 

[Morfeo]

Yeah i saw that. I actually own the famicom-cart, but that release look mighty tempting as well!

Nice to see you after the exodus, by the way, 16-bit!

 

[galvatron]

Just played through Batman on NES over the past few days. Aside from some really finicky boss fights it reminds me of modern Indy platformers.

It's so satisfying to go from "how tf am I supposed to do that" to "I can put my toe on this platform and punch the dude standing on it". There are some jumps on the last level that really make you come to grips with the controls and messing them up isn't often fatal, which shows that they really understood what they were doing. At times the rewards for getting your timing and spacing down when fighting enemies seems rememiscent of the things you might do in a fighting game. The Joker fight is definitely full of footsies.

Great sunsoft soundtrack and hilariously non-canon ending consistent with the game boy version. This one might be a new favorite!

 

[onpoint]

I didn't know this thread existed! Just found it.

Did y'all see this Kickstarter?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1316851183/nesmaker-make-nes-games-no-coding-required

Currently, what can you do with NESmaker?

• Design sprite graphics and color palettes that are automatically constrained to the NES limitations.
• Create assets with properties and behaviors to give developing for the NES an object-oriented feel, similar to modern tools such as GameMaker and Unity.
• Use a text editor to create text strings for NPCs or other narrative devices your game might have.
• Create *special screens* like start screens, end screens, menus, maps, and more.
• Customize AI
• Set initialization parameters (items obtained, player strength/defense, starting screen, etc) for easy testing.
• Use the base engine to create adventure games, basic RPGs, basic platformers, basic brawlers, and several other types of games.
• Assemble with one click for testing in an emulator.
• Flash to cartridge in one click for play on actual hardware.

 

[Deleted member 2620]

Cute project! Not something I'd want to mess with (if I did a Famicom project it would probably be more as an exercise), but I'm all for more and more accessible game development tools. It looks extremely GameMaker.

 

[onpoint]

So last weekend a friend and I were jamming some games, and for some reason I never played Super Spy Hunter before. It was probably because I found the original game to be pretty putrid. But then we found out the sequel was by Sunsoft, and when we booted it up, boy howdy.



This is one of the best NES games I never played! Incredibly advanced design techniques, looking almost demo scene-ish at times. That rocking Kodaka OST. Smooth controls. Interesting systems. We played all the way through it.

Seriously awesome game. Highly recommend jumping on this before prices eventually go up.

 

[Morfeo]

Nice to see you hangongetready. I definitely need to check out Super Spy Hunter too, hated the original so never bothered with it either, but going to check it out now!

 

[bearbytes]

This is one of the best NES games I never played! Incredibly advanced design techniques, looking almost demo scene-ish at times. That rocking Kodaka OST. Smooth controls. Interesting systems. We played all the way through it.

Seriously awesome game. Highly recommend jumping on this before prices eventually go up.

Click to shrink...

Huh. I somehow never got around to trying Super Spy Hunter either. Some super impressive visual effects going on there, sort of reminds me of the first time I played the opening level of Crisis Force. Gotta love those Sunsoft bass samples too!

Definitely gonna give this a shot soon.

 

[SkyMasterson]

Just played through Batman on NES over the past few days. Aside from some really finicky boss fights it reminds me of modern Indy platformers.

It's so satisfying to go from "how tf am I supposed to do that" to "I can put my toe on this platform and punch the dude standing on it". There are some jumps on the last level that really make you come to grips with the controls and messing them up isn't often fatal, which shows that they really understood what they were doing. At times the rewards for getting your timing and spacing down when fighting enemies seems rememiscent of the things you might do in a fighting game. The Joker fight is definitely full of footsies.

Great sunsoft soundtrack and hilariously non-canon ending consistent with the game boy version. This one might be a new favorite!

Click to shrink...

The wall jumping mechanics in that game are so damn smooth, it's addicting. Running through a level while wall jumping and that soundtrack pumping is one of my favorite things.

So what's on everyones list for games that they still need in there collection?

For me, the only expensive game that I have left to own is TMNT: Tournament Fighters. I guess, I don't even really need it. Especially considering the SNES version is so much better, but being a lover of TMNT, I feel like I should at least own the cart.

 

[bearbytes]

So what's on everyones list for games that they still need in there collection?

For me, the only expensive game that I have left to own is TMNT: Tournament Fighters. I guess, I don't even really need it. Especially considering the SNES version is so much better, but being a lover of TMNT, I feel like I should at least own the cart.

Click to shrink...

I'm at about 135 unique titles. I'm not going for a full set or anything like that, mostly just picking up games that I like. Reasons for adding a game could be anything from, it's fun to play, nostalgia from playing it back in the day, or even if there's just something about it that interests me.

I don't really have anything too expensive. (Besides a sealed Ninja Gaiden 2 that I got as a gift)

I have quite a few games left that I know I want, but the list never really gets any smaller as I'm constantly discovering new stuff to add.

 

[onpoint]

The wall jumping mechanics in that game are so damn smooth, it's addicting. Running through a level while wall jumping and that soundtrack pumping is one of my favorite things.

So what's on everyones list for games that they still need in there collection?

For me, the only expensive game that I have left to own is TMNT: Tournament Fighters. I guess, I don't even really need it. Especially considering the SNES version is so much better, but being a lover of TMNT, I feel like I should at least own the cart.

Click to shrink...

I just really want to own the JPN cart for Gimmick! right now. That's pretty much my holy grail.

Nice to see you hangongetready. I definitely need to check out Super Spy Hunter too, hated the original so never bothered with it either, but going to check it out now!

Click to shrink...

Good to see you too, I'm glad to be back :)

 

[Morfeo]

I own most the games I want, but there are still som Famicom-only games i really want that are just too expensive. Like Recca and Moon Crystal.

 

[bearbytes]

Moon Crystal is great. I've been tempted to get an NES style repro cart of it but a lot of the ones I've seen have poorly made cover art. I have a famicom and a few carts but I'm not sure I want to open that can of worms any further at this point!

 

[Morfeo]

I think i have about 100 famicom carts already lol. That can is wide-open here.

 

[nicoga3000]

Oh good! This thread is here...Slow mover and very few people...But it's here!

I got back into NES collecting recently. I own a bunch of the odd ball games I want. I've actually got a few repros that I ordered (because I'll never find a copy of Little Samson or Ducktales 2 for sale), so we'll see how those go.

 

[Morfeo]

You can import the pal copy of Little Samson, that is way cheaper than the ntsc-versions.

 

[onpoint]

Wouldn't the music run at PAL speed then though?