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Famicom 30th Anniversary: July 15th, 1983-2013

Although the C64 was what got me started in the world of videogames, the NES followed soon after. Got it for Christmas 87 or 88, so I was 3 or 4 and the Mario/Duck Hunt pack hooked me immediately. Fondest memories are spending hours upon hours playing Mario 3 with my brother and/or friends and renting as many games I could manage, most notably the Mega Man series. Still have the system too :)
 

Lambtron

Unconfirmed Member
On the subject, I actually have an order for the Famicom faceplate [for the Wii U GamePad] in my combined order shipment from AmiAmi, but I won't be receiving it until the end of the month [since one of the items in the order won't be released until the last few days of July]. :(

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OMFG I need this.
 
My first experience with the NES was playing Super Mario Bros on a tiny ass TV, in grainy black and white with no sound ( cause the console was NTSC and the TV was PAL), and it blew my fucking mind.

I wasn't new to gaming by then, I had been gaming for years on Atari, MSX, and others... but SMB was on a whole another level. The game dominated my thoughts for months and I was raving about it to everyone I met.

The game remains for me a pure joy to play to this day and my favorite of all time.
 
I remember getting it during the Christmas of 88' with Contra and the pack in SMB/Duck Hunt. It was probably what made me a gamer. Going from Adventure and Berzerk on the 2600 to Contra was such a step up. It's funny, I could easily play SMB or Contra today and still have a blast. So glad my parents listened to the guy at Electronics Boutique (?) who said "Contra is the new hot thing. Ya gotta buy it." Great memories.
 
Sorry - didn't realize this thread existed when I made mine. Here's my contribution:

I still remember the first time I saw the system - it was 1987, and some (comparitively) wealthy friends of the family had the system. I played Duck Hunt, some game where you would shoot cardboard cutouts of thugs (avoiding innocent bystanders), but no Super Mario Bros. Regardless, I was hooked!

Notable Stories (in a nutshell):
1. Christmas present burnt to ashes - I torn open a little of the christmas wrapping on box because I just wanted to see what the system looked like. My parents had always told me if I open the presents before Christmas, it would turn to ashes. They noticed the tear, and overnight the burned / charred some of the wrapping and the box. I didn't go near it again.

2. TLoZ is boring and dumb - My friend had TLoZ - I played it for 10 minutes, was lost, didn't know what to do, and quit. Never went back to that game (though ALttP is one of my fav games of all time - I was too young for TLoZ)

3. The popular kid on the block - Later, I was the only kid in my apartment complex with Super Mario Bros 3 (my godparents got it for me) - 10-12 kids would come over every weekend to take turns playing. It was nuts.

4. Mom picks out a good game - More than anything one Christmas I wanted TMNT1 for the NES. I had also played the arcade game and loved it. I had no idea that it was ported over to the NES. Christmas morning, my mom told me she couldn't get me TMNT1 and that she hoped this other game would be okay. Sadly, I opened the present and found TMNT: The Arcade Game staring at me. I couldn't believe it! It was my version of the "N64 Kid" moment.

5. Lies suck - There was a period early on where my parents told me we couldn't hook up the NES because they couldn't get it to work (really they just wanted their TV watching back). A year later on a whim I took it out of the closet, hooked it up, and viola! It worked. They were falsely surprised that I got it to work. hahaha This is why it took me 1.5 years to bear Super Mario Bros.

6. The joy of victory - Beating Super Mario Bros. was a cause for celebration the likes of which I don't experience with games these days. Ahh, the joys of being 9 yrs old. :)
 

Psxphile

Member

The kids who played the NES have all grown up, and a whole bunch of them are ignoring the exponentially more powerful hardware capabilities of modern consoles in favor of the systems they cut their teeth on.

Boy, ain't it the truth. I have very little hype for current consoles and the next-gen due out in mere weeks, but I get so giddy whenever I think of playing a game designed to look, play and feel like an 8 or 16-bit console title.
 
A friend of mine told me they still sell Famicoms in Japan and that they're about $10?

If so, I'm pumped to get one, lol.

No, manufacturing of the Famicom was discontinued in September, 2003. It was 4000 yen at the time, and now typically goes for 7000 yen or more.
 

Vinnk

Member
Very sad this thread died after only 2 pages. The Famicom deserves more love than that!

You can't get new Famicoms in Japan anymore but Famicom clones are a dine a dozen and play most of the games acceptably. They start at around $10. And unless you get an AV Famicom (the redesign) an original Famicom can be hard to hook up to a modern TV.

For me, I love the Famicom Twin. It was licensed Famicom hardware made by Sharp that could play both Famicom Carts and Famicom Disk System games.
 
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