NES/Famicom Appreciation Thread

Love all the recent retro threads.

As far as NES goes lately I've been replaying my very first RPG: Ultima Quest of the Avatar.

God do I love NES RPGs. Everyone says they've aged poorly but I seriously still can't get enough of how punishingly difficult and just flat-out awesome they are. There's something still charming to this day of the square-by-square grid based movement of an NES RPG.
 
womp said:
If anyone wants a nice screen for their NES etc I would go check a local Goodwill for a CRT.

I was at one by my mother's a few weeks ago on a whim and they had a nice 26 inch Trinitron (with the flat glass) for $20. I was tempted but I already have my old and reliable Commodore 1702. ;)

Not too long ago, such a television cost hundreds upon hundreds of dollars and are some of the best.
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All the Goodwills in my area haven't taken in CRTs for about a year now. :\
 
Cody_D165 said:
Love all the recent retro threads.

As far as NES goes lately I've been replaying my very first RPG: Ultima Quest of the Avatar.

God do I love NES RPGs. Everyone says they've aged poorly but I seriously still can't get enough of how punishingly difficult and just flat-out awesome they are. There's something still charming to this day of the square-by-square grid based movement of an NES RPG.
Click to expand...

Looking at footage of the NES port of Quest of the Avatar, it doesn't look half bad - lots of these PC RPG ports to NES didn't really translate very well. While some have aged more poorly than others, there is a basic charm about old RPG's that is easily understandable if you grew up in the era.

I was a massive RPG fan on my Commodore 64 before the NES hit so I may have to pick this up. Thanks for the recommendation to add to my ever growing list. :P

EDIT: Unfortunately it doesn't look anything like the Ultima QotA that I know of....Hmm...

Shame...
 
womp said:
Looking at footage of the NES port of Quest of the Avatar, it doesn't look half bad - lots of these PC RPG ports to NES didn't really translate very well. While some have aged more poorly than others, there is a basic charm about old RPG's that is easily understandable if you grew up in the era.

I was a massive RPG fan on my Commodore 64 before the NES hit so I may have to pick this up. Thanks for the recommendation to add to my ever growing list. :P

EDIT: Unfortunately it doesn't look anything like the Ultima QotA that I know of....Hmm...

Shame...
Click to expand...

Yeah it definitely feels quite a bit different than the PC version. I'm probably a bit biased since the NES version is the first RPG I can remember playing. It is still quite an enjoyable experience however.

Edit: I think IIRC there's a port of Ultima IV for the Sega Master System that was far closer to the PC version.
 
So I just started playing The Legend of Zelda. Should I play this with a guide? I really want to beat it but UGH it feels old.

I found level 1 and beat it. Couldn't find 2 but found 3. Annoying armored guys you can't attack from the front giving me trouble (by the boss). I could get some more bombs and just do it that way... or try to find level 2.

I really don't like being unable to move diagonally. And a general dislike of 2D Zelda I don't like how spastic enemy movement can be. They don't look in one direction first, then move. They are pointing right and decide "I'm going to go down immediately and scurry half-way across the screen".

Or perhaps I should give this a fresh go tomorrow. Its 1 am after all. Its hard going back having just finished A Link to the Past a few hours ago (which I thought was far from perfect but has of course aged better).
 
MvmntInGrn said:
So I just started playing The Legend of Zelda. Should I play this with a guide? I really want to beat it but UGH it feels old.

I found level 1 and beat it. Couldn't find 2 but found 3. Annoying armored guys you can't attack from the front giving me trouble (by the boss). I could get some more bombs and just do it that way... or try to find level 2.

I really don't like being unable to move diagonally. And a general dislike of 2D Zelda I don't like how spastic enemy movement can be. They don't look in one direction first, then move. They are pointing right and decide "I'm going to go down immediately and scurry half-way across the screen".

Or perhaps I should give this a fresh go tomorrow. Its 1 am after all. Its hard going back having just finished A Link to the Past a few hours ago (which I thought was far from perfect but has of course aged better).
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One thing to do is make sure you buy a ring before dungeon six. That one's a fucker.
Oh, and I hope you didn't name your character Zelda (that quest might require a guide).
 
Uncle Rupee said:
One thing to do is make sure you buy a ring before dungeon six. That one's a fucker.
Oh, and I hope you didn't name your character Zelda (that quest might require a guide).
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lol, thanks. Debating printing out a map. I'll give it another go tomorrow. I like games with exploration but right now I'm wandering thinking "Have I... been to this screen yet?"
 
Help Me! said:
My life changed forever the Christmas I received the NES. If Nintendo would FINALLY get the ball rolling for the 3DS eShop I could be reveling in the nostalgic glory.

I loved this game, but never could manage to beat it.

sectionz_(11).jpg
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CTRL-F on every page for "Section Z". Then I went back to the first page and saw this image.

This was the game my mother bought for me when I got my NES. Not Mario, like every kid on the block. Section effing Z.

Never really did understand what was going on. Warp... then die?
 
synt4x said:
Oh no that's fine. You don't have to. I think it works. At least it should now with the newer firmware. And yes RGB for the win. I have RGB cables for all my consoles that supports it. I'm not sure if I could do that RGB NES mod though. It feels morally wrong to steal the PPU from another machine haha. But composite looks surprisingly good on my Trinitron actually. And the NES was meant to be composite-only anyway! At least I'll keep telling myself that. :D

But man now you're making me feel a bit bummed out about having mostly PAL games in my collection haha. Well I already did feel bummed out about it so no worries. :) It does suck about 50hz, but at least many if not most of them can be played on an NTSC console without any issues. The ones that were not PAL optimized anyway, which seems to be most of them. I'd love to have an NTSC-only collection myself, but I feel that it's a bit too late to start over now with these damn prices today. I do own a Powerpak though so if I feel like playing a PAL optimized game in 60hz at least I have that option.

And I collect what I can afford, so basically it's mostly cart only from various regions these days. I don't like to have boxes that have pressure damage and tears and such, so it would be even more expensive to get CIB copies in that case. Famicom games are usually much cheaper CIB though so if I can find a CIB FC game I'll opt for that. Usually they're also in better shape for some reason. The Japanese probably took better care of their games in most cases compared to the west. :P

Also I can totally understand not being a member on nesdb, especially if you only have NTSC games although they do discuss all kinds of NES collecting there. But yeah it is mostly focused on the SCN region games. And it can be a bit insular and circle-jerky there at times as well so you're not really missing much.
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I feel the same way about crushed boxes. It's nice, damage free boxes or cart only for me. Yeah, Japanese games generally tend to be in better condition but they also tend to reek of moist old basements and attics. At least the ones i got do, lol.

Morfeo said:
Ok, what is this awesome stuff, and where can i get it?
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XRGB-Mini upscaler unit (should be used with RGB compatible consoles): http://www.solarisjapan.com/xrgb-mini-framemeister-compact-up-scaler-unit/
And regarding RGB modding a NES or Famicom.. it's kind of complicated.
 
got some stuff today:

EDHJgrN.jpg
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Now have all three Ikari Warriors, so happy about that. Never knew there was a second Tiny Toon Adventures game, so intrigued by that since I loved the first as a kid. Spy Vs Spy is also a favorite of mine, though it's hard to get other people into it since it's kind of complicated.
 
Hero_of_the_Day said:
got some stuff today:



Now have all three Ikari Warriors, so happy about that. Never knew there was a second Tiny Toon Adventures game, so intrigued by that since I loved the first as a kid. Spy Vs Spy is also a favorite of mine, though it's hard to get other people into it since it's kind of complicated.
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I had no idea that second Tiny Toons game existed.
 
MvmntInGrn said:
lol, thanks. Debating printing out a map. I'll give it another go tomorrow. I like games with exploration but right now I'm wandering thinking "Have I... been to this screen yet?"
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PRINTING a map? PRINTING A MAP??

Kids these days…

Grab a goddamn pencil and paper.

Here is my map from the first quest that I made when I replayed through the game recently.
6961896599_e22d7d9842.jpg
 
Hero_of_the_Day said:
Never knew there was a second Tiny Toon Adventures game, so intrigued by that since I loved the first as a kid.
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Plinko said:
I had no idea that second Tiny Toons game existed.
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The first game was something of a straight platformer, right? Well, uh, this one isn't. At all. It's kind of a pseudo-minigame collection/platformer mish-mash, where you have to spend tickets to ride certain rides and hopefully do well enough in them to make a return on investment, until eventually you have enough tickets to get Buster into Montana Max's castle stage. IIRC you had a raft ride with Furball, a roller-coaster ride with Babs, a train ride with Hamton and bumper cars with Plucky, with the first three kinda acting like normal platformers to an extent (the first two are tied to the vehicle you're riding, while Hamton's more of an auto-scrolling stage) and the bumper-car being an overhead minigame thing. Spend tickets to get in; clear a stage, get more tickets; lose a stage, lose those tickets; lose all tickets, game over. You can play any of the stages you want as many times as you want within that framework, though, so if you're good enough at one stage to complete it a couple of times over and grind those tickets, you can see the final stage.

It's still fun, but if you're expecting more of the first game, you're setting yourself up for disappointment.

Reason I know this: I own the second, but not the first.
 
Zing said:
PRINTING a map? PRINTING A MAP??

Kids these days…

Grab a goddamn pencil and paper.

Here is my map from the first quest that I made when I replayed through the game recently.
Click to expand...

No sense of exploring...no sense of figuring it out...it sucks doesn't it?

I graph paper'd my way through Metroid and relied on school yard/bus ride discussion with other kids to get through Zelda back in the day - took me a week.

I'm at the point nowadays where I don't even tackle the first dungeon without the upgraded sword and things like that are what makes the game awesome. :)
 
Nice map! :D
Man I'm too lazy these days to do something like that. I just wander around until it feels like I'm going in circles without finding what I'm looking for and give up and then consult an online map or something. But I try to only use it when I really have to. For Metroid I definitely had to use a map on quite a few occasions. And the last temple of Kid Icarus...

Shining said:
I feel the same way about crushed boxes. It's nice, damage free boxes or cart only for me. Yeah, Japanese games generally tend to be in better condition but they also tend to reek of moist old basements and attics. At least the ones i got do, lol.
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Haha I thought I just had bad luck or something because I totally know what you're talking about. I guess a lot of them has spent years in storage in some attic or basement. I don't really mind though.
 
I never drew a map in Metroid. I just remembered where I had been and where I wadn't. Not alaws succesfully, but most of the time.
 
Teppic said:
I never drew a map in Metroid. I just remembered where I had been and where I wadn't. Not alaws succesfully, but most of the time.
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The best part was when I was just about done Metroid, I ended up getting the Official Player's Guide. :P

.....

So I went on a eBay spree and grabbed seven carts. So far six of them have arrived with Star Tropics due on Friday. Winning bids and shipping combined, I spent a total of $49 and got the following...

13+-+1
13+-+1
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Seems like a lot compared to random flea market or Goodwill finds, but $7 a cart ain't bad IMO, especially for something like Super C and Castlevania III which seem to be commanding a premium these days. Two retro gaming shops wanted $20 and $25 accordingly, and these suckers are in primo shape. Castlevania III was $7 plus $2 shipping. Having never played the game, I am quite anxious to jump in....by the time it came out, I was already heading into the 16 bit era and missed out.

As a side note....damn this game has a big PCB!

13+-+1
Click to expand...
 
Gonna have to finish my self drawn map playthrough one of these days.

Problem is, I write/draw too big, so i've got 3 pages stapled together lol. Think im just going to redraw/copy to a smaller scale and go from there.
 
Teknoman said:
Gonna have to finish my self drawn map playthrough one of these days.

Problem is, I write/draw too big, so i've got 3 pages stapled together lol. Think im just going to redraw/copy to a smaller scale and go from there.
Click to expand...

Graph paper man....:)
 
FINALLY got a working NES, after four(!) bad purchases. Too bad this one, the power LED doesn't work. Might be able to fix that, though.

Anyway, here's my modest collection

UAVQnce.jpg
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not shown are the nine standard controllers, the zapper, the ROB with spinners, the power pad, and last (and certainly least) NES MAX. Worst controller ever? Quite possibly.

Don't really care about Jeopardy, don't really need three copies of SMB/Duck Hunt/Track Meet, don't really like the label damaged SMB/Duck Hunt. The copies of Tetris and Battle of Olympus really need to be hit with a magic eraser. I think I have a second copy of Gyromite around somewhere, too. Had one with my ROB, and picked up another hoping to find a famicom converter inside.

I have a few more on the way in the mail, too. (Rad Racer, Rampart, and Willow)

I wish I still had my games from when I was a kid :/
 
Lolol that Tetris cart reminds me of a hilarious story.

A while back one of my friends bragged to me how he had just snagged a Tengen Tetris cart off eBay for cheap (don't remember how much it was, I think like $10-20), because someone had listed it as "Nintendo Tetris Black Cartridge Version." There were no photos with the auction however. He was convinced that it was a Tengen cart.

About a week goes by and the cart arrived in the mail. It literally was almost the same thing as that cart you posted. He was so pissed.

I laughed so much...
 
I recently grabbed all the Rockman carts and played through Rockman 5 yesterday night. It's far from the best entry in the series, but it has some of the nicer backgrounds I've seen on the Famicom. Lots of unique tiles and good use of black to shade rather than to outline.
 
Teknoman said:
Gonna have to finish my self drawn map playthrough one of these days.

Problem is, I write/draw too big, so i've got 3 pages stapled together lol. Think im just going to redraw/copy to a smaller scale and go from there.
Click to expand...

I found that using mechanical pencil greatly reduced the size of my maps. The fine tip that never dulls allows for tiny symbols and words that are still readable.

I have two notebooks that I keep next to my TV. One is large and used for maps and notes. For example, when I am playing an RPG, I write down important NPC text or directions. The second notebook is smaller and strictly used for passwords.
 
Like the hat? said:
FINALLY got a working NES, after four(!) bad purchases. Too bad this one, the power LED doesn't work. Might be able to fix that, though.

not shown are the nine standard controllers, the zapper, the ROB with spinners, the power pad, and last (and certainly least) NES MAX. Worst controller ever? Quite possibly.
Click to expand...

They're usually not too hard to fix. Sometimes even cutting off a certain pin to disable the Nes10 chip will cause the system to work better. ie grey and blue screens. This happens sometimes cause NES doesn't get the signal from the cart letting it know that its a real game. Sometimes its a blown 7805 voltage regulator, amazingly radio shack still hase these... fixed a famicom last summer by getting a new 7805.

Max is a weird controller... it definitely more suited for some games than others... Like I can't play well at JAWS without it.
 
blizzardjesus said:
They're usually not too hard to fix. Sometimes even cutting off a certain pin to disable the Nes10 chip will cause the system to work better. ie grey and blue screens. This happens sometimes cause NES doesn't get the signal from the cart letting it know that its a real game. Sometimes its a blown 7805 voltage regulator, amazingly radio shack still hase these... fixed a famicom last summer by getting a new 7805.

Max is a weird controller... it definitely more suited for some games than others... Like I can't play well at JAWS without it.
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Yeah, a couple just won't power on. One powers on but won't run anything. Tried replacing 72 pin and cutting the 10nes chip, but nothing. Is like it starts to start a game for a split second, but won't fully load anything. Most games give a black screen, but bubble bobble gives the very first frame of the game, with a random sound hanging. Zelda shows the start of the title screen, plays the first few notes of the music really fast, then just hangs on like the 4th or 5th note.
 
Zing said:
PRINTING a map? PRINTING A MAP??

Kids these days…

Grab a goddamn pencil and paper.

Here is my map from the first quest that I made when I replayed through the game recently.
6961896599_e22d7d9842.jpg
Click to expand...


LOL this is awesome. I think most people in this thread can relate to this.
 
Just went on ebay and bought myself an NES with 2 controllers, SMB1 & SMB3 for £46.

It's the only Nintendo console that I don't have a physical collection for so I intend to change that in the next couple of months, looking forward to having another shelf of alphabetically/chronologically/serially(?) ordered games (haven't decided yet, depends on which looks best and doesn't upset my OCD).
 
Zing said:
PRINTING a map? PRINTING A MAP??

Kids these days…

Grab a goddamn pencil and paper.

Here is my map from the first quest that I made when I replayed through the game recently.
6961896599_e22d7d9842.jpg
Click to expand...

Wow this is awesome! But didnt the game come with a map back in the day, or did they really expect us all to do this? At least Zelda 2 and 3 came with decent maps if I remember correct.
 
Just played through Wizards and Warriors. Not as hard as I remember, but I always forget it's the second game that I really like. Disappointing every time I start it up and realize that. One of these days I'm going to play part three. I've had it for forever, but never played more than a couple minutes of it. Always heard it was pretty terrible.
 
Hero_of_the_Day said:
Just played through Wizards and Warriors. Not as hard as I remember, but I always forget it's the second game that I really like. Disappointing every time I start it up and realize that. One of these days I'm going to play part three. I've had it for forever, but never played more than a couple minutes of it. Always heard it was pretty terrible.
Click to expand...

Its.....strictly average. The main problem with it is that the game is pretty long if you don't know where all the items are and there are no passwords, battery back-up, or continues. So everytime you die you have to do everything all over again just to get back to where you were. It has an open world structure that allows you to complete your objectives (finding the bronze, silver, and gold statues to rank up each class) in the order you like so there's that at least.
 
Jake Tower said:
One summer, I mapped the entire game of Willow on graph paper.
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One summer, my mom and I made a detailed map of Zelda 1's overworld where we bombed and burned absolutely every bush/wall possible to map out the hidden spots. It was a thing of beauty. That was like 20 years ago, though, so who knows what happened to it.

Motherfuckers today with their gamefaqs and map .gifs don't know how good they fucking have it.
 
haha yeah i had an entire notebook full of passwords & maps, wish i still had it...there was like 3 pages for Sherlock Holmes on Sega-CD, heh

no one put me onto graph paper until well after strategy guides/game design made it less necessary...with my awful handwriting i think that would've helped
 
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