That's a bit dodgy, the cardboard should have been bent if it came from an impact during shipping. You need a serious amount of force to pierce through plastic like that. Plus your parcel was wrapped in bubblewrap.
NES/Famicom Appreciation Thread
- Thread starter Teknoman
- Start date
That's a bit dodgy, the cardboard should have been bent if it came from an impact during shipping. You need a serious amount of force to pierce through plastic like that. Plus your parcel was wrapped in bubblewrap.
Shit, that sucks Tain. I'm pretty sure you can get it sorted through Amazon but I know you just wanted to get the system and play.
As for the AC adapter, I wouldn't recommend using the Japanese adapter in a US current, though there are plenty of US adapters that put out what the Famicom needs. I think we went through all this just a few pages back, too.
In somewhat related news, my Fami FF3 arrived looking gorgeous except one side of the plastic tray is basically hanging on by a thread. Does anyone have any extra plastic trays that hold the Fami games in their boxes?
As for the AC adapter, I wouldn't recommend using the Japanese adapter in a US current, though there are plenty of US adapters that put out what the Famicom needs. I think we went through all this just a few pages back, too.
In somewhat related news, my Fami FF3 arrived looking gorgeous except one side of the plastic tray is basically hanging on by a thread. Does anyone have any extra plastic trays that hold the Fami games in their boxes?
I was thinking the same. The cardboard doesn't even seem like it was rustled. I think the seller deliberately put that system in that box.
I am always too wary to order stuff like that from amazon, since unlike eBay it is the exception to have photos of the system being sold, not the norm. How do people navigate around this? Or do you just order it without photos because amazon has excellent customer service and will generally facilitate swapping it out if it is shitty?
Cheesemeister
Member
I know, I've played on one of those carts. The cart simply isn't being manufactured and sold. The group that made the game is still in limbo trying to figure out how to work with Nintendo on a Virtual Console release.
I generally don't take chances unless the price is ridiculous. For example, when some Goodwill put up a sealed, new J.J. and Jeff for $7 on Amazon I was too curious not to get it.
It was a new and sealed J.J. and Jeff in really good condition. I opened it immediately! Game kind of sucks, thanks Hudson.
I've generally had good luck with Amazon and Japanese orders as I do feel like they're less of a hassle than eBay and I'm not too big on CIB most of the time, but yeah this experience is gonna give me pause in the future.
Filed a refund because that was the only automated option, I'll see if I feel like trying again later.
Filed a refund because that was the only automated option, I'll see if I feel like trying again later.
That and usually you dont get messed up stuff from Amazon. I just got a Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire that was listed as very good with box and manual: Arrived quickly and almost looked brand new. Was it just shipped in that box, or is that the original box for the system?
Especially since you can't just use a USA AC for it. That'll kill it quick.
You can't use the NES power supply because it's not an AC adapter, it just pumps through AC current.
You can use other US AC adapters like the Genesis one, though, and that's better in the end than using the Japanese adapter in US current.
http://www.famicomworld.com/forum/index.php?topic=6933.0
This is the important part:
So I found my personal collecting holy grail a couple of weeks ago and it just came in the mail today. I found it in an online store by accident looking for something else and my jaw kind of hit the ground when I saw it. So The Guardian Legend is my favorite NES game and it and Faxanadu are responsible for me getting into gaming in the first place. I always thought the PAL box art was so incredible and in fact, it's my favorite box/cover art of all time!
Anyways, I've been looking for a decently priced copy of the PAL version for years with no luck and with each passing year, I saw less and less copies of it become available. Long story short, I found a mint, sealed copy of the game for a price I had no issue paying and now I have it in my collection!
Anyways, I've been looking for a decently priced copy of the PAL version for years with no luck and with each passing year, I saw less and less copies of it become available. Long story short, I found a mint, sealed copy of the game for a price I had no issue paying and now I have it in my collection!
theSlacker
Member
Looks great, congrats. That art is way better then the NA version for sure.
Thanks! Yeah I agree completely about the art being better. The Japanese version is pretty cool too (especially compared to the NA one), but the PAL version is hands down my favorite!
sixteen-bit
Member
RadarScope1
Member
Looks great Hubbl3! Congrats. Gives me hope that I can still find a few of mine.
Thanks dude! Yeah, I had actually given up hope of ever even finding just a boxed copy of the game in decent shape. I never imagined I'd find a mint and sealed copy, haha. Keep the faith! There's still a good chance you'll run across at least one of your grails, if not all of them!
dcx4610
Member
Was super pumped to get my AV Famicom today!
... Fuck!
Ordered this through Amazon, hopefully it won't be too much trouble to get it sorted. The box seems fine, so I'd be surprised if it was damaged in shipping.
No AC adapter either. Or is that normal?
Sorry to hear about the damage. The AV Famicom did not come with an adapter originally. Nintendo, much like the New 3DS expected you to upgrade and use your old Famicom adapter on the AV Famicom.
You should be able to easily find an original Famicom or Super Famicom (same specs) adapter for sale. They work fine on American outlets although if you want to be super safe, you can buy a Japanese voltage adapter. You can also use a Sega Genesis Type 1 adapter. As others have mentioned, do not use an American NES adapter as it outputs in AC and the Famicom expects DC so it will fry it.
D.Lo
Member
I was doing some random research about modding my AV Famicom to get correct levels for expansion audio. Basically I want to add a resistor to the expansion audio line to get the mix like an original Famicom.
And I had to laugh, because several of the posts I found googling it were ones I wrote myself on various forums over the years. Front page has one here and one on Famicom World.
It's a pretty small world, the English speaking Famicom enthusiast family.
EDIT: And holy shit at the AV Fami carnage. It's a super strong plastic case, something must have hit it HARD.
And I had to laugh, because several of the posts I found googling it were ones I wrote myself on various forums over the years. Front page has one here and one on Famicom World.
It's a pretty small world, the English speaking Famicom enthusiast family.
EDIT: And holy shit at the AV Fami carnage. It's a super strong plastic case, something must have hit it HARD.
Picked up this CRT for free. Almost forgot how much better it looks (compared to my shitty LCD atleast) and the built in speakers are actually pretty good!
I've got an AV Fami incoming and I've seen some different instructions to fix the expansion audio mixing, does it always include cutting traces?
I've got an AV Fami incoming and I've seen some different instructions to fix the expansion audio mixing, does it always include cutting traces?
Tal Shiar Agent
Banned
I had one that big a year ago but I had to donate it since it was too heavy to abd awkward to fit up my stairs.
I was thinking, would an old flat-screen 4:3 monitor work well for retro stuff?
I was thinking, would an old flat-screen 4:3 monitor work well for retro stuff?
sixteen-bit
Member
RadarScope1
Member
Picked up this CRT for free. Almost forgot how much better it looks (compared to my shitty LCD atleast) and the built in speakers are actually pretty good!
I've got an AV Fami incoming and I've seen some different instructions to fix the expansion audio mixing, does it always include cutting traces?
That just about the exact same TV as I have. Same size, too. Great CRT.
Picked up this CRT for free. Almost forgot how much better it looks (compared to my shitty LCD atleast) and the built in speakers are actually pretty good!
I've got an AV Fami incoming and I've seen some different instructions to fix the expansion audio mixing, does it always include cutting traces?
The screen looks absolutely fantastic. It's so flat. These were the premium CRTs, right? The ones that were flat?
RadarScope1
Member
My latest pickups. Wrecking Crew is my 15th CIB black box game.
IrishNinja
Member
^damn, that looks sexy...congrats!
just wanted to add to the condolences, that sucks man...hope it's sorted soon
haha yeah, i kept hearing the JP one was better but unless you know the comedians, i don't really agree
just wanted to add to the condolences, that sucks man...hope it's sorted soon
haha yeah, i kept hearing the JP one was better but unless you know the comedians, i don't really agree
A Black Falcon
Member
JJ & Jeff is actually a good game. Remember that in Japan the game released in December 1987. It was a launch title for the PC Engine, and one of the first releases for the then-brand-new 4th generation of consoles. And for a first title, it does a pretty good job! It's clearly inspired by 3rd-gen games, Wonder Boy/Adventure Island in particular, but it has better graphics and more graphical variety than you'd see in any NES game, and an actual lifebar, instead of being mostly one-hit-kills as Adventure Island is. The juvenile humor isn't something I like all that much, and the controls are a bit skiddy, but one of the two guys controls better than the other one, so only use him. I think it's a good game. It's not a great game, and doesn't match later Hudson titles like the Bonk games, but it did release 2 1/2 years before Bonk's Adventure, so that should be expected. Hudson's platformers were never top-tier great, but it's a decently fun game....
Until you mess up the continue code and have to start the whole overly-difficult game again from the beginning, or hit one of those backward warps that send you to an earlier level in the game with no easy way of getting back to where you were without just playing it over again, or such. Yeah, it can be unfair, and it needed a password system, or at least normal infinite continues, not a code you've got to enter right to keep playing from where you are. Still, it's a decent game. It's not great, but isn't bad either. It does help to like Hudson games, though, of course. I think it's a fun challenge, and not worse than the Adventure Island games certainly. I like it better than some of them for sure -- I never have liked the first Wonder Boy/Adventure Island all that much.
Well, you're a weirdo.
The first Wonder Boy is leagues better than Adventure Island which is already a way better game than J.J. and Jeff. If it didn't have that tangential connection to one of my favorite game series I probably would have trashed it by now.
I hope whoever made it is part of the group that's shackled in Reggie's basement and forces to churn out Mario Parties.
The first Wonder Boy is leagues better than Adventure Island which is already a way better game than J.J. and Jeff. If it didn't have that tangential connection to one of my favorite game series I probably would have trashed it by now.
I hope whoever made it is part of the group that's shackled in Reggie's basement and forces to churn out Mario Parties.
Fucking awesome, Wrecking Crew is one of my all-time favorites and I absolutely love the black-box art games. Would kill for a cib collection of all the black box games one day...
My friend has the actual High Speed machine at his house!
A Black Falcon
Member
Sorry, but while I love almost all of its sequels, the original Wonder Boy/Adventure Island isn't a good game. Monster Lair is a great game (seriously, it's so much fun on Turbo CD! Under-rated game for sure.), all of the Monster World games are great games (fantastic series, I love all four of the games), but Adventure Island is kind of bad. I've always disliked Adventure Island -- I remember being unimpressed by the series back in the early '90s -- and I still don't like it very much. I got Wonder Boy (SMS) earlier this year, and it's slightly better than Adventure Island, but it's still bad overall.
So yeah, JJ & Jeff isn't great, it's just above average, but it's DEFINITELY better than Wonder Boy, and most of the Adventure Island games too (I don't like Super Adventure Island at all either, though the second and third NES games are a little better.).
And yes, it really is a bit above average. Seriously, again, this game released in late 1987! The game plays decently, and there were no other home-console platformers which looked as good available then, also. The only other PC Engine platformer in '87 is Bikkuriman World, which is a version of Monster World 1 (Wonder Boy in Monster Land) so it's a great game and definitely better than JJ & Jeff, but that game looks very dated and last-gen visually in a way that JJ & Jeff / Kato-chan & Ken-chan doesn't.
Seven Force
Banned
I mean, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and all, and I don't even have the highest opinion of the first Wonder Boy game, but J.J. and Jeff being considered good in any respects might be one of the most bizarre opinions I've ever read on this site.
IrishNinja
Member
N64 library > PSX
Dracula X (SNES) > Rondo
JJ & Jeff > Wonderboy
marvelous
simply sensational
Dracula X (SNES) > Rondo
JJ & Jeff > Wonderboy
marvelous
simply sensational
A Black Falcon
Member
Huh? I'm far from the only person who thinks it's a decent game. The original Japanese version, at least, has people on PCEFX who like it.
I think a lot of the criticism is in the context of the game being a 1990 US release. By that point it was dated. Put it in the context of 1987 and it looks better.
When trying to attack someone for subjective opinions, can't you at least get things right? Super Castlevania IV is the best Castlevania game ever, with Rondo of Blood in second. SNES Dracula X is a mediocre, disappointing port/remake.
MasterOfPuppets
Member
I don't think there was an AC adapter. I think the pink strip on the back of the box describes the original contents.
EDIT: Somehow I missed the later posts that answered this.
IrishNinja
Member
much like wonder boy for SMS in '86
apologies ABF, but this opinion is only slightly less worse, is the thing
the less we speak on bloodlines, the better
Coulda had that cart for like $20 forever ago, like 10+ years. Listened to someone who said that and didn't buy it.
I actually prefer it to Rondo, and I regret not buying it back then. Own the Japanese cart now because it's so much cheaper to get and there's no real language barrier.
I know you're being funny. But opinions are funny things.
Seven Force
Banned
I think that when put within that context, Wonder Boy compares more favorably.
A Black Falcon
Member
Since this is the NES thread, as for NES Castlevania, the only one I actually have is the first one. I put some effort into it a few years ago and got to Death, but gave up there, that last corridor and Death are super hard. The FDS or GBA versions would be nice to have, they have saving instead of just "keep the system on" infinite continues... it's a great game though, certainly. I've never liked horror so I don't care about it thematically, but as a game it's very, very good.
As for II, never played it. III seems great, but I've only ever played a few levels of the game. It's always been a game I want, but never quite want to pay the always-high price for...
As for '86, that had games like Akumajou Dracula (Castlevania) and Metroid on the FDS. Both games released in '87 in the US on the NES.
Really though, I'd much rather play Monster Lair (TCD) or any Monster World game than either of those games.
As for II, never played it. III seems great, but I've only ever played a few levels of the game. It's always been a game I want, but never quite want to pay the always-high price for...
Wonder Boy was actually a 1987 release on SMS. You can do better that year, for platformers -- to name some that come to mind, Doki Doki Panic for FDS, for example, or Mega Man or Kid Icarus for NES, or Bikkuriman World for TG16 (the SMS version didn't release until '88)... (oh, and it's an action-RPG not a pltformer, but Zelda II (FDS) is also 1987.)
As for '86, that had games like Akumajou Dracula (Castlevania) and Metroid on the FDS. Both games released in '87 in the US on the NES.
Super Castlevania IV is one of the most popular Castlevania games ever. It's not my fault if you disagree with the common opinion that it's amazing.
Bloodlines is a good game, I just don't like that they removed moves versus SCIV, hate the awful limited-continues system, and don't think it looks or sounds as good as SCIV or RoB. But it's still a good game.
But Wonder Boy (SMS) and Kato & Ken (TG16) released the same year! How is that favorable for Wonder Boy? I mean, for the SMS Wonder Boy looks and plays well, but it can't match the next-gen Turbografx/PC Engine in graphics or sound. And in gameplay, they both have issues, but at least Kato & Ken has fewer instant-death things.
Really though, I'd much rather play Monster Lair (TCD) or any Monster World game than either of those games.
I admit, I haven't played a lot of SNES Dracula X, but while it has some nice graphics, it's just so hugely downgraded versus the TCD game that it's obviously nowhere near as good. Where's playable Maria, for example? She's the better character by far in RoB!
lol
I hate that people actually say things that, because I too was once ignorant. It's not even remotely the same game.
You just beat ABF at his own game. Congratulations.
You're right that XX is not a bad game and it gets unfairly ragged on, but Rondo is pretty damn close to perfect. I do think the troll Drac in XX with the bottomless pits everywhere is hilarious, though.
D.Lo
Member
Nobody thinks Castlevania IV is better than Chi no Rondo. It's still a top tier Actionvania, but the vast majority put Rondo and Densetsu above it.
It's like a rom hack of the game. Very much comes across as a port that was rushed, like they had the engine down then very rapidly whipped up some levels.
It is very much a version of Chi No Rondo, to state otherwise is incredible disingenuous.
It's still solid, but is looked down on because of massively lost potential. It was on a system with more graphical power and just didn't have the effort put in to use it. Music was amazing though, 90% as good as the CD version!
It is 'remotely' the same game. Same enemies, same sprites, same music, same story, only slightly different title (in Japan). New levels and some new backgrounds.
It's like a rom hack of the game. Very much comes across as a port that was rushed, like they had the engine down then very rapidly whipped up some levels.
It is very much a version of Chi No Rondo, to state otherwise is incredible disingenuous.
It's still solid, but is looked down on because of massively lost potential. It was on a system with more graphical power and just didn't have the effort put in to use it. Music was amazing though, 90% as good as the CD version!
I think the thing with Rondo, for me, is that I expected way too much out of it due to it's reputation. I played through it on the Wii Virtual Console and the PSP remake as well. I think it's good. But it's not my favorite, and it didn't live up to the reputation that precedes it.
The irony is that it's almost the same thing DracX on the SNES gets, but in reverse, and also not as severe. DracX is a good Castlevania, not terrible; Rondo is a great Castlevania, not perfect.
What a sad time though, that we get no Castlevania games today, and we got two good-to-great games back then at nearly the same time. If only...
The levels are incredibly different. Sorry if you don't think so, but it's like a totally different game to me. It's as different as Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 on Gamecube and Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 on PSOne are.
IrishNinja
Member
that plays even more to my argument, it being earlier - but cheers for that
and it's also worth noting that
a) wonderboy is a fantastic port
b) you named some of the best of the best 3rd parties nintendo had locked down, i named one of the best Sega's sweathouse (holding it down basically solo) put out
c) i think we're comparing very different types of platformers here - wonderboy is a time-based one with, again, heavy arcade sensibilities so i get why it's not your cup of tea, but it's a classic all the same
don't get me wrong - SC IV is amazing indeed, i'm not knocking it one bit - fantastic OST and great levels/etc as you've said.
it's just that Rondo is, empirically, castlevania greatness distilled. this has been scientifically proven in peer-reviewed journals for ages now.
...fair enough, i recalled your stance giving it less of its due is all
i know some of ya'll like to play at them both being technically 8-bit systems but you can't honestly be comparing TG16 & SMS stuff
like when chronsega did this for Ys i unsubbed so fast i almost hurt my hand
haha...yup
no one does
i totally didn't know about this till the recent HG101 vania book, think i spit up my drink when i read it