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[coughlanio]

Has there been a process set up for the selection of games for upcoming months? Living in Europe, it'd be nice to have a little bit of buffer time to order games online.

I'm not sure exactly how the GB thread works, but something along the lines of the following would be ideal:

Week 1: Nominations for the following months game begins.
Week 2: Voting for the following months game begins.
Week 3-4: Buffer time to allow International participants to acquire the game.

There should possibly also be a price cap on the chosen games? With the exception of a game having a high proliferation, like your Mario and Zelda titles, something like a $30 cap would be appropriate? This could be decided via VGPC or whatever. Might be as simple as saying no Little Samson, Panic Restaurant, NWC etc. etc.

Just wanted to put my two cents out there, should be fairly easy to do via Google Forms and would be happy to throw it together.

EDIT: I've thrown together a quick nomination form here as an example: http://goo.gl/forms/3kOrh52aXW. It currently requires you to login, to limit the response to one per person, this can be removed though. It's still anonymous submission, as the form only records the nomination and the timestamp.

 

[-KRS-]

Yeah, it was the last copy (or the only copy) and was down as 'Very Good'. Their shipping to Ireland is $4.95, whereas regular sellers were asking anywhere from $11 to $20 for shipping. Got the game for about $24 which isn't too bad. The auction copies up there right now, are starting at $8-ish, with like $12 shipping.

If it comes in as anything other than "Very Good", I'll kick up a fuss I guess.

Thanks to the global shipping program sellers like lukie are often the cheapest option available for Europeans if we want US games, even though they're 'overpriced'. Most of the time they're the cheapest BIN listing. And even if you wait for auctions most of them use the GSP so shipping is like $25.

I think I got my copy of Monster Party from them actually. I've bought many of my US games from them as well as jjgames. They seem to be pretty good about labelling the condition most of the time, although expect some minor scratches on the label etc. If it's 'very good' it means it's got the labels intact and without writing on it etc.

 

[coughlanio]

Thanks to the global shipping program sellers like lukie are often the cheapest option available for Europeans if we want US games, even though they're 'overpriced'. Most of the time they're the cheapest BIN listing. And even if you wait for auctions most of them use the GSP so shipping is like $25.

I think I got my copy of Monster Party from them actually. I've bought many of my US games from them as well as jjgames. They seem to be pretty good about labelling the condition most of the time, although expect some minor scratches on the label etc. If it's 'very good' it means it's got the labels intact and without writing on it etc.

I don't mind minor surface damage (scratches, blemishes) to the label, as long as it isn't torn, peeling, or has sharpie writing on it. I'm just getting into NES collecting, so I'm actually going to mostly go for NTSC or NTSC-J games, they tend to be cheaper, 60hz and easier to find.

 

[OnPoint]

Has there been a process set up for the selection of games for upcoming months? Living in Europe, it'd be nice to have a little bit of buffer time to order games online.

I'm not sure exactly how the GB thread works, but something along the lines of the following would be ideal:

Week 1: Nominations for the following months game begins.
Week 2: Voting for the following months game begins.
Week 3-4: Buffer time to allow International participants to acquire the game.

There should possibly also be a price cap on the chosen games? With the exception of a game having a high proliferation, like your Mario and Zelda titles, something like a $30 cap would be appropriate? This could be decided via VGPC or whatever. Might be as simple as saying no Little Samson, Panic Restaurant, NWC etc. etc.

Just wanted to put my two cents out there, should be fairly easy to do via Google Forms and would be happy to throw it together.

EDIT: I've thrown together a quick nomination form here as an example: http://goo.gl/forms/3kOrh52aXW. It currently requires you to login, to limit the response to one per person, this can be removed though. It's still anonymous submission, as the form only records the nomination and the timestamp.

This is a good idea. Thanks for setting it up. Also I really like the idea of a price limit. $30 is probably where it's at. I was never going to vouch for Little Samson or games of that price range, at least not while I have a say.

 

[coughlanio]

This is a good idea. Thanks for setting it up. Also I really like the idea of a price limit. $30 is probably where it's at. I was never going to vouch for Little Samson or games of that price range, at least not while I have a say.

Do you want to make the form the official form so? I should be able to keep on top of the nominations and voting, and will be able to make the responses publicly viewable.

We should draw up some nomination guidelines and hopefully we can all agree on.

Something a long the lines of:

The nominated title should be readily available via standard channels such as eBay, for a reasonable price ($30 guideline applies, preferably less to give the majority of people a chance to join in).

The title should be a licensed NES/Famicom title (No hacks, homebrew, multicarts). Only exception is unlicensed, but readily available titles.

There's possibly a few other guidelines we can add such as the game must be available in English, or have minimal text if not, but we can see what people think.

 

[OnPoint]

Do you want to make the form the official form so? I should be able to keep on top of the nominations and voting, and will be able to make the responses publicly viewable.

We should draw up some nomination guidelines and hopefully we can all agree on.

Something a long the lines of:

The nominated title should be readily available via standard channels such as eBay, for a reasonable price ($30 guideline applies, preferably less to give the majority of people a chance to join in).

The title should be a licensed NES/Famicom title (No hacks, homebrew, multicarts). Only exception is unlicensed, but readily available titles.

There's possibly a few other guidelines we can add such as the game must be available in English, or have minimal text if not, but we can see what people think.

Yeah, let's make that the official form.

Most of what you suggested looks good to me. The only thing I'd like to add is a rule that says we can't play games in the same genre in months back to back.

The only other thing is that I'm not sure last one is necessary I think only because I think we're going to be staying away from RPGs and text-heavy games in general for the Game Club, so as to avoid text-heavy situations like that. Honestly, most proper RPGs on the system are grindfests anyway, and I wouldn't want to kill a month for the Club with that. I guess we could make excluding text-heavy games a rule for the Club only, not the thread in general (obv).

 

[Mega]

I started playing Monster Party. I got a bit stuck on stage 2 (sewers?), couldn't find the key and called it quits for the night. I like the idea of having a choice between risking hitting back a projectile for lots of damage or beating up on the enemy with the bat while dodging and crouching. There are some pretty weird bosses like the fried shrimp/onion ring.

This never occurred to me since I have not really played a game with a password system in almost two decades, but having a camera to snap a pic of the password makes it a little more convenient and not so bad.

 

[OnPoint]

This never occurred to me since I have not really played a game with a password system in almost two decades, but having a camera to snap a pic of the password makes it a little more convenient and not so bad.

Oh man, having a cellphone camera has totally changed how I play NES games. I'm glad you had the same revelation I did haha

 

[coughlanio]

I've drawn up some guidelines and how I see the selection process unfolding and ran them past OnPoint.

NES Game Club Guidelines

1. The nominated title should be readily available via standard channels such as eBay, for a reasonable price (Maximum $30, preferably less to give the majority of people a chance to join in).
   
2. The title should be a licensed NES/Famicom title (No hacks, homebrew, multicarts). Only exception is unlicensed, but readily available titles.
   
3. The title should be available in English, and if not, it should at the very least be playable without knowledge of Japanese.
   
4. Due to the nature of the Club, excessively long or grind-heavy games such as RPGs will be excluded.

Selection Process

The first week of each month, the selection process for the following month commences. As part of this, each member has the ability to submit a nomination for the title they think should be the next Game Of The Month.

At the end of this week, the nominations are tallied in the following manner:

• The list of nominees are checked for infringements of the above guidelines, and any not meeting the requirements are removed.
• The list is ordered by the number of votes per nominee.
• The top five nominees are selected.
• In the case of nominees that have an equal amount of votes either side of the cut-off point, the title nominated first is selected.

During the second week, voting commences, lasting for one week. Results will be posted in the thread.

 

[coughlanio]

PSA: Nintendo Quest was released today. I just grabbed a copy myself, so I know what I'm doing tonight.

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/nintendoquest

EDIT: Far from the best documentary I've seen, and comes off as very set up. He doesn't go into how much he paid for any of the games, nor how much his starting budget was.

Saying that, still an interesting watch, but it's more like a feature-length YouTube-quality thrift shopping video than an actual documentary. I think I'd still rather watch The Game Chasers.

 

[D.Lo]

I'll start Monster Party on the Everdrive while my cart is coming I guess. I play almost everything on the Everdrive (except expansion audio games), but don't play things I don't own. I guess I technically own the cart now lol. I'll sell it after because I don't keep games without boxes.

PSA: Nintendo Quest was released today. I just grabbed a copy myself, so I know what I'm doing tonight.

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/nintendoquest

EDIT: Far from the best documentary I've seen, and comes off as very set up. He doesn't go into how much he paid for any of the games, nor how much his starting budget was.

Saying that, still an interesting watch, but it's more like a feature-length YouTube-quality thrift shopping video than an actual documentary. I think I'd still rather watch The Game Chasers.

Wow that trailer is... bad.

 

[Teknoman]

Earlier there was talk about Conquest of the Crystal palace. Do you guys think the Famicom version would be playable without knowing japanese?

I wouldn't be surprised. I think there is a shop and you'd have to guess what items did what, but it shouldn't be unplayable in the least bit. I haven't really sat down with the game aside from messing in stage 1 and getting hooked to the soundtrack.

EDIT: Would games like Faxanadu, Startropics, or Legend of Zelda 2 count as excessively long or grind heavy? Technically they are action rpgs, but dunno how long they clock in at.

 

[TeaJay]

I wouldn't be surprised. I think there is a shop and you'd have to guess what items did what, but it shouldn't be unplayable in the least bit. I haven't really sat down with the game aside from messing in stage 1 and getting hooked to the soundtrack.

Thanks. A store should be easy to handle just by checking a walkthrough or something. I'm guessing Maten Douji will be on my shopping list, then.

The price for the actual US version cart isn't too bad compared to Famicom, but the shipping costs from the US eBay-wise kill me. Old news, I know, but it sucks that even the cheapest option is around 11 € / 15 $ and many, many sellers use the GSP, making the cost double or even triple that.

I've switched more and more to the Famicom side, since I'd have to play the US games on my PAL NES (or get the Famicom 60->72 adapter) and I can run my AV Fami games on 60hz anyway. So if a game is playable without knowing japanese, I'll pick it up. Some games that do feature text are still on my waiting list, though (like Crystalis or Guardian Legend) and I will probably have to get the adapter to get 60hz on those.

 

[coughlanio]

Thanks. A store should be easy to handle just by checking a walkthrough or something. I'm guessing Maten Douji will be on my shopping list, then.

The price for the actual US version cart isn't too bad compared to Famicom, but the shipping costs from the US eBay-wise kill me. Old news, I know, but it sucks that even the cheapest option is around 11 € / 15 $ and many, many sellers use the GSP, making the cost double or even triple that.

I've switched more and more to the Famicom side, since I'd have to play the US games on my PAL NES (or get the Famicom 60->72 adapter) and I can run my AV Fami games on 60hz anyway. So if a game is playable without knowing japanese, I'll pick it up. Some games that do feature text are still on my waiting list, though (like Crystalis or Guardian Legend) and I will probably have to get the adapter to get 60hz on those.

You should check out lukiegames, $4.95 to Europe for the first game, $1.95 for the rest.

 

[Voliko]

Well I played Monster Party today, here's what stood out the most to me. Forthcoming spoilers if anyone actually cares. I think it's pretty mediocre overall. It was one of those games where I felt like I'd rather be replaying Contra or Castlevania for the millionth time.

There's some odd stuff in this game. The crawling animation is strange. Fighting jumbo (literally) shrimp and other fried foods, "face the music" guy, etc. The wacky things are probably the highlight of the game. I found the game too easy. Although it's nice that there are "new" enemies in every level, too many have the same pattern of just walking back and forth on a set path. Every boss is fought on the same layout (flat ground), and there didn't seem to be much thought put into their patterns. There's hardly any platforming, and even when there is, I don't recall there being a single death pit. Having a door to the immediate left on stage 8 was bullshit the first time I played it and didn't know about it. The way the stage changed in stage 1 was awesome. Stage 6 was pretty dumb, I hate those kind of maze levels, but at least it didn't take me too long to figure it out. I think the ending would have freaked me out as a kid.

 

[Khaz]

I feel pretty stupid not to be able to beat the pumpkin head guy in the first level.

 

[coughlanio]

So, I've started putting together a list of NES games I want to pick up over the next while, without going too crazy...

• Super Mario Bros.
• Super Mario Bros. 2
• Super Mario Bros. 3
• The Legend of Zelda
• Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
• Metroid
• Castlevania
• Dragon Warrior
• Tetris
• Final Fantasy
• Contra
• Metal Gear

If anyone happens to have dupes lying around, let me know!

 

[TeaJay]

You should check out lukiegames, $4.95 to Europe for the first game, $1.95 for the rest.

I know, but I'm wary on ordering from them, since they use stock photos and I previously got carts that are seriously busted or so dirty I couldn't get them to work. Maybe I'll give them another chance later since many people out here have ordered and gotten good results despite my own experiences.

 

[IrishNinja]

I feel pretty stupid not to be able to beat the pumpkin head guy in the first level.

are you hitting his stuff back at him? are you getting there with enough health, maybe as the monster (if a pill shows up nearby, i forget)?

 

[Chittagong]

I know, but I'm wary on ordering from them, since they use stock photos and I previously got carts that are seriously busted or so dirty I couldn't get them to work. Maybe I'll give them another chance later since many people out here have ordered and gotten good results despite my own experiences.

They are hit and miss, four out of five carts I got were just fine, one (SMB3) had a torn label and marker text all around

Is there a way to remove marker text from the cartridge and label?

 

[sixteen-bit]

Maybe Goof Off? Might damage the print tho...

 

[Sir Ilpalazzo]

Pulled off a no-death run of Castlevania (not using the holy water - although I did use the cross which isn't much better) just now. I think the thing that killed my runs the most wasn't Death or the scary random last level, but accidentally stepping on random dagger drops in that corridor right before Death.

I almost did a no-death run of Shatterhand too, but the last boss tanked it with his attack that turns floor tiles into damage tiles. Harsh.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Congrats! You should film your runs.

 

[D.Lo]

They are hit and miss, four out of five carts I got were just fine, one (SMB3) had a torn label and marker text all around

Is there a way to remove marker text from the cartridge and label?

Cart is doable, depending how old it is. A few years old and alcohol will work. You can also try a whiteboard marker, over it then wipe off, they have an ink solvent as part of their content.

Really old writing is impossible. Over years it fuses in with the plastic. Up to 1mm deep even.

Label is riskier, but the same methods apply.

 

[Triple Dash]

Picked up Crystal Palace, Faxanadu, and Kiwi Kraze (New Zealand Story) last week. Having a real hard time getting the latter to work, worst looking contacts I've seen on a game. Did at least pick up a custom screwdriver for opening carts recently as well.

Monster Party? Every time I think I make a dent in my bucket list it keeps growing larger...will laugh if suddenly the prices for it go up a bit. lol

 

[Chittagong]

Cart is doable, depending how old it is. A few years old and alcohol will work. You can also try a whiteboard marker, over it then wipe off, they have an ink solvent as part of their content.

Really old writing is impossible. Over years it fuses in with the plastic. Up to 1mm deep even.

Label is riskier, but the same methods apply.

Ha, thanks for the tips. Whiteboard marker is really clever. I might be out of luck, because the marking says 'Mom' in a kid's handwriting. I'd guess it's more than a few years old.

 

[catpurrcat]

So, I've started putting together a list of NES games I want to pick up over the next while, without going too crazy...

• Super Mario Bros.
• Super Mario Bros. 2
• Super Mario Bros. 3
• The Legend of Zelda
• Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
• Metroid
• Castlevania
• Dragon Warrior
• Tetris
• Final Fantasy
• Contra
• Metal Gear

If anyone happens to have dupes lying around, let me know!

I see you've got a "mainstream" fun games list, good stuff! So don't forget Bionic Commando and Punch Out!

 

[sixteen-bit]

If anyone happens to have dupes lying around, let me know!

don't forget shatterhand

 

[coughlanio]

I know, but I'm wary on ordering from them, since they use stock photos and I previously got carts that are seriously busted or so dirty I couldn't get them to work. Maybe I'll give them another chance later since many people out here have ordered and gotten good results despite my own experiences.

I just ordered Monster Party from them, so we'll see what condition it's in when it gets here. It stated "Very Good" on the listing, so I presume it'll be in at least good condition.

They are hit and miss, four out of five carts I got were just fine, one (SMB3) had a torn label and marker text all around

Is there a way to remove marker text from the cartridge and label?

You can try Contact Cleaner (Isopropyl Alcohol, also good for cleaning the pins). I use it all the time on PS2/DVD cases to remove sticker residue and permanent marker.

 

[coughlanio]

Remember to submit your nomination for November's Game of the Month:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1DGl6yHrsnavx_kk1b0NFf4Fp3UIJiTBe4S1US-xuUgo/viewform

Nominations end this Friday.

 

[RoryDropkick]

Remember to submit your nomination for November's Game of the Month:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1DGl6yHrsnavx_kk1b0NFf4Fp3UIJiTBe4S1US-xuUgo/viewform

Nominations end this Friday.

Submitted mine. Should be fun to see what is chosen for next month

 

[coughlanio]

Submitted mine. Should be fun to see what is chosen for next month

Cool, should be fun!

I'm thinking that we might do themed months, similar to this month with Monster Party. Maybe restrict nominations for December to Christmas/Snow/Winter themed games. What do people think about that?

 

[RoryDropkick]

Cool, should be fun!

I'm thinking that we might do themed months, similar to this month with Monster Party. Maybe restrict nominations for December to Christmas/Snow/Winter themed games. What do people think about that?

I was going to suggest that as well, it just makes sense after all

 

[Teknoman]

Cool, should be fun!

I'm thinking that we might do themed months, similar to this month with Monster Party. Maybe restrict nominations for December to Christmas/Snow/Winter themed games. What do people think about that?

Works for me, but how many nes games have that going for them? Snow is like Ski or Die, Kickle Cubicle , and...Snow Bros? Dunno about Christmas,since I the best thing I've seen for that in gaming is Christmas Nights.

 

[RoryDropkick]

Works for me, but how many nes games have that going for them? Snow is like Ski or Die, Kickle Cubicle , and...Snow Bros? Dunno about Christmas,since I the best thing I've seen for that in gaming is Christmas Nights.

Kickle Cubicle sounds like a great choice actually..

I've spent my day today relaxing finally. Got to test out my A/C adapter for my FDS, no more batteries! Also will play Monster Party and a few other games.

 

[coughlanio]

Works for me, but how many nes games have that going for them? Snow is like Ski or Die, Kickle Cubicle , and...Snow Bros? Dunno about Christmas,since I the best thing I've seen for that in gaming is Christmas Nights.

Kickle Cubicle sounds like a great choice actually..

I've spent my day today relaxing finally. Got to test out my A/C adapter for my FDS, no more batteries! Also will play Monster Party and a few other games.

Batman Returns, Ice Climber are two that come to mind.

 

[RoryDropkick]

Batman Returns, Ice Climber are two that come to mind.

Those are two that I need to actually pick up. My cousin had a copy of Batman Returns for the longest time ,but I never thought to buy it, even though it was Konami. I do have the SFC version of Returns though.

 

[OnPoint]

I don't mind doing themed months sometimes but we are gonna limit what we can and can't play if every one is themed

 

[RoryDropkick]

I don't mind doing themed months sometimes but we are gonna limit what we can and can't play if every one is themed

I would think just major holidays. Yknow, 4th of July, New Years, Christmas, Arbor Day, Boxing Day, Chinese New Year, Festivus, Boss' Day, Yom Kip-pur, etc

 

[Chittagong]

Love the idea of themed months. I think the December one doesn't need to be quite so literal as to have snow, something that just feels a bit magical and has the spirit of the holidays could work as well, like Little Nemo The Dream Master

 

[drhankmccoyphd]

I finished Monster Party last night and definitely enjoyed it. Every level was kinda easy apart from the haunted house maze in stage 6 or whatever. The controls when using Mark were kind heavy and plodding but I feel like it worked when compared with the dragon pill. When you turn into the dragon it felt a bit like Gargoyle's quest which was cool. I'll agree with a lot of folks here in that the game is definitely an oddity. The horror theme sets the game apart, but so do some of the mechanics like being able to reflect enemy projectives. The music stood out as above average to me especially considering the horror motif. It's definitely worth a play through and didn't get too frustrating apart from the haunted house.

 

[D.Lo]

Batman Returns costs too much. I know because I'm after a complete copy!

December is summer in half the planet, so hey you can do any beach or summer themed games too.

 

[RoryDropkick]

Well, my Monster Party play was going ok, then my 72 to 60 pin adapter must have gotten jostled or something and froze the game up. It's still the same game I remember playing, fun little goofy parodies here and there <love the transporters from The Fly in stage 2> I still want to know what the schoolboys or whatever are supposed to be in stage 1.. I almost want to say they are parodying Jo Azuma from Genma Taisen/Harmageddon, but that could be stretching it. "Parody World" indeed though! I wish they could have brought this out in Japan with all of their intended joke bosses and other little gags.

 

[coughlanio]

I don't mind doing themed months sometimes but we are gonna limit what we can and can't play if every one is themed

Well, I was thinking that Hallowe'en and Christmas are pretty much the only two that are considered to be relatively universal. Just a thought I'd put out there.

 

[coughlanio]

Batman Returns costs too much. I know because I'm after a complete copy!

December is summer in half the planet, so hey you can do any beach or summer themed games too.

It's $11 loose which is under the $30 guideline (My understanding of that, is loose cartridge, if it was $30 CIB, then the majority of games would be out of the price range).

Adventures of Bayou Billy is basically Crocodile Dundee, so that's an option (albeit a bad one, granted I haven't played the game).

 

[Teknoman]

Wow how'd I forget about ice climbers! I got that about a month or so ago and haven't popped it in beyond testing.

 

[Mzo]

maybe because it's pretty bad

 

[RadarScope1]

maybe because it's pretty bad

True. There's not much to the game. It's one I had as a kid so I can say I've been playing it for years.

I'll miss out on the first few of these because I still need to order my FM and I'm not pulling the trigger yet because life has been too busy to play games....

 

[Teknoman]

Gonna crosspost stuff from the 31 nights of horror thread since I'm playing Monster Party for that too.

 

[NDPsycho]

Cart is doable, depending how old it is. A few years old and alcohol will work. You can also try a whiteboard marker, over it then wipe off, they have an ink solvent as part of their content.

Really old writing is impossible. Over years it fuses in with the plastic. Up to 1mm deep even.

Label is riskier, but the same methods apply.

I've had a lot of luck getting black marker off. Red seems harder for some reason. I use alcohol swabs and pink erasers. Wipe as much off the cart as you can. If it won't come off easily, wet it with the alcohol and use the soft pink eraser on it. Most of it should come off. Nes boxes are even higher quality than snes and n64. With care you can even get a lot of stuff off of them.

Unless the label is damaged, nes and snes (not those made in mexico) wipe off very easily. This, again, assumes the laminate on the label is not damaged. Don't try it on mexico snes or any n64 labels.