Category Archives: Famicom Disk System

Retro Room – My Collection

by

38

I’ve been quite busy this last week, I’ve moved my previously tiny little retro gaming corner into a bigger room in our house! :D This was much needed since my games didn’t fit in there anymore O_o

My previous Retro Room (that’s what I call it due to the vintage interior design and all the retro video games) was quite narrow and I have been working for years adding furniture to the puzzle in an attempt of trying to make all my games fit in there. Here’s some pictures of how narrow my previous Retro Room was:

Eventually it was filled with so many games that I had no more room of storing them, they were lying all over the place and it looked messy :( 

So my boyfriend and I decided to change rooms, he got my old one and I got our big work-room for myself! :D
It was a lot more work than I had anticipated, putting up new wallpapers, moving all the things out of both rooms and then moving stuff back in and arranging the furniture in a good way.. it was quite messy during the process:


But I tried keeping things organized since most of my games were already in alphabetical order..

So after a whole weekend of decorating and stuff my new Retro Game Room is finally finished! Here’s the results:

Underneath the big TV int he middle I have 11 consoles all connected to it ^_^  (NTSCN NES, SNES, Twin Famicom, SMD, DC, PS2, Saturn, N64, SFC, SMS and GC) on the right TV I only have an NES and on the left TV Japanese SMD, SMS, PC Engine and Atari 2600.



My 8-bit perler beads came in handy when decorating some dull spaces ^_^

My NES Zapper corner, along with some SFC, FC, SNES and N64 games ^_^

The painting here is made by a friend of mine and I love it so much! It’s some of my favorite game characters of all time ^_^ Samus Aran, Sephiroth, Master Chief and Lulu from FFX :D


My Castlevania collection now takes up TWO shelves! and is the centerpiece of my collection ^_^

I have 4 large bookshelves next to each other on this wall, and on the last one I ran out of shelves because I used them all in the others. I am in the process of getting more shelves though, so soon I’ll be able to stack this last bookshelf full as well, I have one more box of games outside the room waiting to be unpacked ^^

My little space invaders shelf ^^ I used to have only Famicom games in it, but now I put my C64 games on the top compartments and my Famicom Konami games on the bottom (the bottom ones doesn’t have endlabels :( and also there’s a Wonderswan!)

I also really love my new Nintendo neon sign! It really lights up the room ^_^ I have two more neon signs on the way, I’ll blog about them when they arrive :D

In this corner I have my desk, hardly visible here though. I also have all my boxed GB, GBC and GBA there and some Famicom games ^^

Finally my Commodore 64 got it’s own place and didn’t have to stay on the floor anymore! :D

I also have a few consoles which I have doubles of, and these I keep on the desk in case I want to record gameplay :) Like my Famicom with Disk System :D

I am incredibly satisfied! And I want to give out a special thanks to my wonderful friend Becky who helped me move and organize everything this weekend! :D

My Castlevania Collection!

by

42


So what’s on this shelf.. well I have scanned all of my Castlevania games, so let’s start with the 8-bits and move forwards ^_^
edit: now my collection is taking up two shelves ^_^


Castlevania
The first Castlevania adventure for the NES. I have finally found a nice complete edition ^_^


Castlevania II Simon’s Quest
The second Castlevania adventure for the NES. Still looking for a complete one…


Castlevania II Simon’s Quest Tiger handheld
Here’s a handheld version of the Simon’s Quest Castlevania game. It’s really nothing like Simon’s Quest for the NES, it’s a very basic sidescrolling beat ‘em up, but still a nice edition to the collection ^_^


Castlevania III Dracula’s Curse for the NES
This one is a PAL edition and it’s complete in box quite nice condition.


Castlevania Blood Moon
This is not an actual release, it’s an NES reproduction cart with a fan-made hack of the Castlevania game.


Castlevania Chorus of Mysteries
This one is also an NES reproduction cart with a fan made hack.


Akumajou no Densetsu 悪魔城伝説 (Castlevania III Dracula’s Curse)
The third Castlevania game, released for the Famicom.


Akumajou Special Boku Dracula-kun 悪魔城すぺしゃる ぼくドラキュラくん
A cute platforming spinnoff of the Castlevania series. Released for the Famicom by Konami.


Akumajou no Dracula 悪魔城ドラキュラ (Castlevania I)
The first Castlevania adventure for the Famicom Disk System. I have this one complete with the outer plastic box and manual, but scanning the complete package with that box looks terrible >_< So I just scanned the inner case with the game and inlay.


Dracula 2 The Accursed Seal (Noroi no Fuuin) ドラキュラII呪いの封印 (Castlevania II Simon’s Quest)
The second Castlevania game on Famicom Disk System. Same here I have it complete in box with manual, but scanned the inner case with game and inlay.


Dracula Densetsu トラキュラ伝説 (Castlevania Adventures)
The first Castlevania game for the Game Boy. I wrote a bit about this game here. One thing that baffles me about this game is that hearts = health, where is the wall chicken?! I have this game in PAL edition as well, however only the loose cartridge.


Dracula Densetsu  II トラキュラ伝説II (The Castlevania Adventure II Belmont’s revenge)
The second Castlevania game for the Game Boy. Great adventure, great music. Shouldn’t be missed out on, all the Castlevania Game Boy games are completely new adventures, not just ports of the NES/Famicom adventures. I have this in PAL as well, but just the cartridge.


Akumajou Dracula Shikkokutaru Zensoukyoku 悪魔城ドラキュラダークナイトプレリュード (Castlevania Legends)
Probably my favourite Castlevania adventure for the Game Boy. I made a video of where I finished it here. Really hard final boss! But thanks to the password system I managed to go back and finally beat him ^_^ Great music in this one! Like most Castlevania games ;D You should really check out my video just to listen to the first stage song, a great remix of the Daylight music from Simon’s Quest! Also the Final Boss brings back the Vampire Killer theme song but in a new version, it’s kickass!! What are you waiting for? Go put on that video in the background to listen to those awesome tunes! ^_^


Castlevania Legends
I also have the PAL edition for Game Boy.


Akumajou no Dracula 悪魔城ドラキュラ (Castlevania)
The Famicom Mini Edition. Castlevania re-released for the Game Boy Advance in Japan.


Castlevania NES CLASSICS
The NES Classics edition for the Game Boy Advance.


Castlevania Aria of Sorrow
My favourite Castlevania adventure for the Game Boy Advance. You can collect the enemies’ souls and gain their powers! :D AWESOME!


Castlevania Circle of the Moon
Also for the Game Boy Advance, also a great adventure with some memorable tunes ^_^


Castlevania Circle of the Moon Soundtrack 悪魔城ドラキュラ 白夜の協奏曲 オリジナルサウンドトラック
The original soundtrack for Circle of the Moon to Game Boy Advance. This one is amazing! Here are some of my favorite Castlevania songs! :D


Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance
The third Castlevania adventure for the Game Boy Advance. There was a Game Boy Advance release that contained both Aria of Sorrow and Harmony of Dissonance but I haven’t been able to find it yet in decent condition.


Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow
For Nintendo DS. I have the game for Order of Ecclesia as well but without box and manual and I’m still keeping an eye out for Portrait of Ruin..


Castlevania Portrait of Ruin
Another Castlevania game for the DS, I just got this (that’s why it’s scanned with plastic around) so I haven’t been able to try it out yet.


Castlevania Order of Ecclesia
This one is also brand new, another Castlevania game for the DS. This one however I had the game cartridge for previously so I have played it and got pretty far, and it was great! But then I got stuck >_<


Akumajō Dracula X: Chi no Rondo 悪魔城ドラキュラX 血の輪廻 (Castlevania Rondo of Blood)
Finally got my hands on the rare Castlevania game, Rondo of Blood for the PC Engine! :D It’s in super nice condition, but unfortunately I am unable to play the game since I don’t have a PC Engine duo or the CD-ROM2 >_< but I’m getting one soon!!


Akumajou Dracula 悪魔城ドラクラ (Super Castlevania IV)
The first Castlevania game for the Super Nintendo / Super Famicom. This is the Japanese release. I have Super Castlevania IV for PAL as well, however only the cartridge :(


Akumajou Dracula XX 悪魔城ドラクラXX (Castlevania Vampire’s Kiss)
One of the rare Castlevania titles. This is a japanese release, complete and in great condition. The PAL version is really hard to find.. but I’m looking ^^


Castlevania The New Generation
The only Castlevania game I know of that was released on Sega. This one is PAL for the Sega Mega Drive, complete and in awesome condition ^^


Castlevania
The first Castlevania game for the Nintendo 64. Definitely not a favourite.. Castlevania games really should stay in the 2D platforming genre…


Akumajou Dracula Mokushiroku 悪魔城ドラクラ黙示録 (Castlevania)
I have the N64 Castlevania game in it’s Japanese release as well..


Castlevania Legacy of Darkness
When I finally bought Legacy of Darkness for the N64 I realized it was the same game as Legend of Cornell in Japan.. But now at least I can play it :D

Akumajou Dracula Mokushiroku Legend of Cornell 悪魔城ドラクラ黙示録レゲンドオブコーネール (Castlevania Legacy of Darkness)
This one is also for the Nintendo 64, but I don’t know much about it. I don’t have a Japanese N64 so I haven’t been able to try it out yet. But I can’t say I’m in a rush to do so, since the N64 is my least favourite console of all time.. edit: now I’ve found out that Legacy of Darkness and Legend of Cornell is the same game! It wasn’t much better than the previous N64 Castlevania game, same awkward 3D adventure >_<


Castlevania Chronicles
A PAL edition of the Castlevania Chronicles for the Playstation 1 (PS1)


Castlevania Symphony of the Night
A mint complete edition of a PAL SOTN. Here’s where the Metroidvania style of Castlevania games began. I like it alot ^_^ I especially love that they went back to 2D platforming instead of messing around with awkward 3D..


Castlevania Symphony of the Night Tiger handheld
Much like the Simon’s Quest Tiger handheld, this is also just a side-scrolling beat ‘em up game, though a bit more advanced with more options.


Castlevania The Dracula X Chronicles
Mint PAL edition for the PSP. This one I was particularly happy about when I got since I would be able to play the rare Rondo of Blood adventure that had been released long ago on the PC Engine, but NOW that I HAVE a PC Engine I am looking for the actual Rondo of Blood for the PC Engine. Soooooon it will most definitely be a part of my Castlevania collection :D edit: I now possess the PC Engine version too ^_^


Castlevania The Dracula X Chronicles Soundtrack 悪魔城ドラキュラ Xクロニクル オリジナルサウンドトラック
I also have the original soundtrack from Japan for the PSP game: Castlevania The Dracula X Chronicles. This is a 2-disc collection, quite nice ^_^ It bugs me that they put the cover image in the wrong direction..


Castlevania Lament of Innocence
First Castlevania adventure for the Playstation 2. Here they went back to 3D, however I must say it looks better than on the N64 ;D


Castlevania Curse of Darkness
Another Castlevania game for the PS2. Stupid sticker ruining the front… >_<


Castlevania Judgement
This is the only Castlevania game I know of for the Wii and I just recently got it. I don’t really play the Wii that much, but now I have to try this game out ^_^


Castlevania Lords of Shadow
And finally a Castlevania game for the Xbox 360. It’s supposed to be good, but I haven’t actually had the time to try it yet o_O

Konami games for Famicom & Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa!

by

5


I’ve been going on a retro-gaming-shopping-spree trying to find all the Konami games for the Famicom. It is my favorite game company ^_^ So far I have 34 Konami games for the Famicom and 21 on the Famicom Disk System :D

I love how the Konami cartridges almost always have end labels! It makes it so much easier finding the game you’re looking for. Why doesn’t all the games have that?!

I recently received this batch of Famicom Disk System games, that were all Konami as well :D

I’m really happy I finally bought Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa, since I’ve been eyeing it for quite some time now on Ebay!

Complete and in great condition! Almost like new :D

It’s a really cute platformer, I will record some gameplay footage soon ^^ Meanwhile here’s some images from the manual!




Parodius, Don Doko Don and more!!

by

4

Today I got a package of Famicom games I had bought through a Swedish auction site. First of all four Famicom cartridges, Parodius Da!, Bokosuka Wars, Don Doko Don 2 and Insector X.


And also some Famicom Disk games; Gall Force, Gyruss, Arumana No Kiseki, Falsion and Kiki Kaikai: Dotou Hen with a guidebook:


I can’t wait to try them all out! :D But that will have to wait until tomorrow, since I spent this evening watching Iron Sky (a Finnish/German/American movie set in 2018 about Nazis who had been hiding on the dark side of the moon since 1945).. interesting..

I also got an early birthday present from my favorite japanese import game seller :D He had included a Hudson Turbo Controller for the Famicom  ^__^ YAY!  Perfect for all the shooters I have just bought :D

Retro console photo shoot!

by

12

Today the weather was really nice, so I decided to take some of my consoles for a little stroll ^_^







I photographed a few more, but haven’t had time to resize them yet.. tomorrow perhaps ^^

Second batch of games from Japan

by

4

So here’s the second batch of games I bought in Japan, a bunch of Famicom Disk games and also some more Famicom games:

Some that I’m really happy with are Star Wars, Kamen no Ninja Hanamaru, Eggerland, Castlevania II, Alien Syndrom and Hatris (which was only 100Yen =about 1.25 USD, in mint condition!!)

This weekend I tried all the games I purchased in Japan out briefly (in total 64 games and one system), and all of them worked, except for one Famicom Disk game (Breeder) which I actually think I broke myself o_O Not really sure what happened there..

Also when I got home I had a package waiting for me, with 4 reproductions I had ordered earlier ^_^

The games are reproductions of Cocoron, Recca and two Castlevania games which are fan-made in 8-bit ^_^ Can’t wait to try them all out!

I’m sorry for the shortness of this post, but I’ve been really busy since I got home, I will try to make a longer post tomorrow ^^

Retro gaming store in Japan

by

16

So today I took another trip to the Super Potato store in Akihabara. This time I spent hours just looking through all the retro gaming goodness they had to offer ^_^ And on the way to the store I took the opportunity to drop by a couple of arcades, like this one:

So here’s a couple of things you could find in the Super Potato store:

Famicom games, 4 shelves (only 2 are in the picture) all organized in alphabetical order.


On the opposite side just as many shelves with Famicom games in original boxes, all in really nice condition.

Super Famicom games, also 4 shelves in alphabetical order.


Super Famicom games in boxes, super nice condition.

Game Boy games! They also had shelves filled with boxed ones, and lots of GBC and GBA games too ^^

Lots and lots of Game & Watch!! ^_^

Nintendo 64′s that looked like new, came with controllers and all cables for like 2000 Yen (about 170 SEK, or 25 USD) o_O

On the first floor they also had a bunch of Sega, everything from 8bit to Dreamcast ^^

On the second floor they had all the PS1, PS2, comics, literature such as walkthroughs and guides, all soundtracks to games and lots more ^^

I really wanted to buy this Super Metroid book, but I had already picked up sooo many games that I had to stop myself somewhere :/

And of course they had all the machines where you can get little game related thingys like straps and keychains, I got some Mario stuff there ^^

On the third floor they had an arcade, and no regular arcade, they only had old games, 8bit and 16bit, like Pacman, Pac-Land, Donkey Kong, Final Fight, Splatterhouse, Ghost n Goblins, Street Fighter, Metal Slug, Space Shooters and lots lots more. I stayed there for a while and tried out most of the games, a japanese guy wanted to play Final Fight with me and we got quite far. It was a lot harder than on the console version O_o They also had this really cool chair made out of Famicom cartridges glued together! I sure hope those games weren’t in working order, otherwise it would be a waste :(

Also Pac-Land was a lot different from the Famicom version which I have previously reviewed here and re-visited here.

Here’s some pictures of the different arcade machines, especially Pac-Land ^^

Ghosts n’ Goblins

XX Mission

Final Fight

Final Fight Game Over :(

Pac-Land!


Twin Famicom & Attack Animal Gakuen

by

6

It’s working! I’m still in Japan, but managed to connect the Twin Famicom I bought yesterday to the TV in my hotel room.

I’m probably not gonna have time to go through and try all the games I bought for Famicom, but at least I know the system is working ^^

The first game I opened up was something called Attack Animal Gakuen (アタックアニマル 学園) and it kind of resembles Space Harrier. Not nearly as good, but still an entertaining game.


I haven’t been able to try the disk station of the console yet, since I didn’t buy any Famicom Disk games, but I will try to find some of those tomorrow so I can make sure it works completely :)

Look at those cute controllers!!!!

OMG Japan!!

by

19

20120426-221054.jpg
Retro gaming store in Tokyo Japan. Three floors just filled with retro heaven! This one was only Famicom ^_^

20120426-221246.jpg
So many things, I just wanted it all!

20120426-221300.jpg
And the prices were reasonable!

20120426-221323.jpg
Akihabara, also known as the ‘Electric Town’ in Tokyo. This is where you will find some of the Retro Gaming stores I’ve been visiting today :)

20120426-221341.jpg
Here’s some of the things I’ve picked up today. A Twin famicom! A bunch of Famicom games, some Super Famicom and a Sega Mega Drive game (just to see if it works on my PAL system).

More Famicom Disk System games

by

28

Now I’ve played all the Famicom Disk System games I have, and also a few new ones I recently got. It’s the first console I have that uses disks instead of cartridges (except for playing floppy disks on PC which I did back in the day) and it’s different in many ways.

Here’s the intro when you start up a Famicom Disk System:

One downside with playing Famicom Disk System games is the load times, which is something you never experienced on the cartridge systems, and sometimes they’re extremely lengthy. However, they only appear in the beginning when starting. Otherwise the music and graphics have to some extent been enhanced in many of the Famicom Disk games.

The most noticeable difference between cartridge games and the disk games is usually the enhanced music. You can hear an example here where I recorded the intro of Metroid on Famicom Disk System:

The biggest benefit of playing a game, that you might as well could have played on a cartridge (like Zelda, Metroid, Castlevania etc), is that you are able to save your progress when playing on the Famicom Disk System. It’s not always an option, but most lengthy games have the feature. I was incredibly happy when I started my Castlevania for the Disk System and realized there were already saved files on there, and this one person had saved the game right before the Dracula battle! ^_^

Here’s the gameplay and stage music of Castlevania for Famicom Disk System:

Here are some various videos of other games I tried out on my Disk System:

Nazo no Murasamejou! Awesome game, with great music ^_^

Some Donkey Kong Jr on the Famicom Disk System (it was the first time I actually played this Donkey Kong game, and it took some time to figure out how the hell it worked):

Patlabor, a platformer game only released in Japan:

A weird platformer called Kinnikuman (not a very good one..):

The intro music for Karate Champ, with some gameplay animations thrown in to create some action ^^

And of course Super Mario Bros:

Famicom Disk System games

by

12

I’ve recently started collecting Famicom Disk System as well.

Here it is connected to the Famicom

I only have 5 games for it so far though

The games that are complete with box and manual are Metroid, Castlevania and Nazu no Murasamejou and the two games without manuals are Kinnikuman and Donkey Kong Jr and Super Mario Bros in one.

My two favorites are Metroid and Castlevania. And it’s really fun to look through the manuals which have a lot of artwork.

Here are some pics from the Castlevania manual


Omnomnom, chicken makes you stronger!

The Metroid manual is also filled with cool artwork :)


Here are the bad guys plotting to take over the universe!



At the end of each manual there’s always instructions on how NOT to treat your Famicom Disks:

AAAAHHH! Don’t touch me!!!

I love the illustrations ^_^