What got you into famicom?

[Zycrow]

The American NES was the first gaming system I ever encountered. SNES was the first I owned, but NES was always the first love.

I bought a Famicom along with a handful of games in Japan when I visited some friends back in 2006. Several years later, I fried that Famicom by using the wrong AC adapter. Last year, I got around to replacing that Famicom and that rekindled my love for the hobby. I picked up a disk system and have probably tripled my game collection - by now I may have as many FC games as I have NES games.

It's just a really interesting time for game history, to me. The huge physical differences between the NES and the FC really show the differences between video game and business culture between the US and Japan back then. I like my uniform gray NES carts, but sometimes I like my colorful array of FC cassettes even more. I feel like no other chapter in gaming history has such a variety between the system versions.

[Byron]

I too love the multicolored variety of Famicom carts. The way the cart color compliments the label art on so many makes them the prettiest carts ever made. I wish they had stuck to that with the Super Famicom.

[pachipuri]

I've been into Japanese things since 1999 (due to anime and Pokemon etc) and one day at my regular bootleg supply store in the early 2000's there was a Famiclone connected to a TV blasting out Adventure Island's memorable title tune. I had some time to spare so decided to give it a go. After spending a good 15 minutes or so I was hooked and little me wandered home with a Famiclone instead of some bootleg trading cards.

The Famiclone I brought had about 30 games built in (minus the sports events levels that were counted as games) but the only ones I really played were Adventure Island, Binary Land and Magic Jewelry. Incidentally the first games I brought for my Famicom were Adventure Island and Binary Land (I'm sad that Magic Jewelry isn't an official game so individual carts are a bit harder to get or I would have got that too).

I knew that Adventure Island was a NES game originally but one day I decided to Google "Binary Land" and learned about the Famicom. Nothing eventuated from that but a few years later I saw an AV modded Famicom on Ebay in my country and on a whim said "yeah I'll get that" . Now I'm hooked

[Tetouani85]

When i was a kid, i saw a black thing, with 2 controllers, with Rockman integrated, i knew later that this is a gaming console called FAMICLONE, i enjoyed the game a lot , speialy gutsman stage and fireman stage.
This was my begining of famicom world
I talk about the year 1989 

[Protoman]

Basically, I grew up with NES, then my NES disappeared on me and years later I re-discovered NES via emulation and wanted a console but since getting a NES now wouldn't be MY NES so to speak, I instead came across a Twin Famicom and noticed that japanese versions of games very much cheaper than european ones. There's a certain something sticking a cartridge in and turning on the power has over "File > Load > play".

[liquidco2]

I collect as many systems as I can not going to bore you with a list, it began when I dug out my original NES from when I was a kid..
I fixed the blinking light issue grabbed all the games I had & filled in the spaces with games I had played & lost
my megadrive(genesis) is modded to 50/60hz like a few of my systems are but I'm in PAL territory so my nes wasn't equipped to handle 60hz & ntsc games

after researching for a good while I wanted a NES101 AV (ntsc nes101) but kept finding the famicom
so I began looking into the av fami and never looked back
I have an adapter so if I find NTSC games I can use it on my fami & I love how fami carts are multicoloured
a once sea of grey is transformed into a psychedelic rainbow of games

I only own 20 games I don't know any japanese at all but it hasn't prevented me from enjoying the famicom one bit!

[Great Hierophant]

Five reasons :

1.  I was able to buy a new Famicom AV in the box from A.I. Trading Group (http://www.goldenshop.com.hk/) back when they were $129.99.

2.  No issues with the cartridge connector

3.  Famicom expansion sound and disk system support.

4.  Best composite video quality

5.  Everdrive N8 Famicom version (eventually)

Drawbacks :

1.  No Famicom microphone support

2.  Never found a really good 72-to-60 pin converter. 

[liquidco2]

Five reasons :

2.  Never found a really good 72-to-60 pin converter. 

I use one I got from http://www.gamedoctorhk.com/ I have to say it's really good, and if you want gimmick repro with extra sound it only need very minor modification to work

[P]

Which one is it? They are selling one with shell and one without.

[liquidco2]

Which one is it? They are selling one with shell and one without.

I bought the shelled one
http://gamedoctorhk.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=72_1_17_121&products_id=946

I also modded it for extra sound as I was going to buy a gimmick repro but I managed to get a real copy so I didn't need to mod it

Here is a how to:
http://fami-complex.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/how-to-get-extra-sound-channels-from.html

[Great Hierophant]

Five reasons :

2.  Never found a really good 72-to-60 pin converter. 

I use one I got from http://www.gamedoctorhk.com/ I have to say it's really good, and if you want gimmick repro with extra sound it only need very minor modification to work

They have an issue where two Famicom pins are tied together where they should be separately wired, like all cheap options.  While this causes no difficulty for most games, it will with games like Castlevania 3, After Burner and Gauntlet.  It also has no housing, so the cartridge adapter puts stress on the slot and the pins instead of the plastic around the slot.  The lack of a housing makes it less stable by giving the cartridge a less firm base to sit on.

[liquidco2]

As I say above I purchased the one with the housing and I seperated the pins and put in resistors in place for extra audio

I'm in pal territory but the adapter is good for 1 game for me and that's lifeforce other than that all my games run too fast due to pal being a rubbish format.

I'm not the most knowledgeable person with soldering but the modification took less than 5mins to do.

[Great Hierophant]

As I say above I purchased the one with the housing and I seperated the pins and put in resistors in place for extra audio

I'm in pal territory but the adapter is good for 1 game for me and that's lifeforce other than that all my games run too fast due to pal being a rubbish format.

I'm not the most knowledgeable person with soldering but the modification took less than 5mins to do.

I have been unjust to the one with the housing.  I forgot that I actually have one and modded it some time ago to support games like Castlevania 3 and the PowerPak.  I did not think it worked because I saw some strange lines when I tried the PowerPak.  However, I tried it just now with Castlevania 3, After Burner, Gemfire and Laser Invasion.  They all worked once I cleaned the pins.  The PowerPak worked as well.  While the NES cartridge connector on that adapter is still a bit tight and the plastic is still cheap, once modded it is the best overall solution.  

[Plumtree]

I got into the Famicom after watching You Can Play This! a web series about import games and consoles, but it mostly focused on Famicom games, and I thought that I would want to get one.

[P]

Oh You Can Play This I liked it too. JewWario is sadly no longer with us however.

As I say above I purchased the one with the housing and I seperated the pins and put in resistors in place for extra audio

I'm in pal territory but the adapter is good for 1 game for me and that's lifeforce other than that all my games run too fast due to pal being a rubbish format.

I'm not the most knowledgeable person with soldering but the modification took less than 5mins to do.

I have been unjust to the one with the housing.  I forgot that I actually have one and modded it some time ago to support games like Castlevania 3 and the PowerPak.  I did not think it worked because I saw some strange lines when I tried the PowerPak.  However, I tried it just now with Castlevania 3, After Burner, Gemfire and Laser Invasion.  They all worked once I cleaned the pins.  The PowerPak worked as well.  While the NES cartridge connector on that adapter is still a bit tight and the plastic is still cheap, once modded it is the best overall solution.  

I heard these adapters often bridge 48 and 49 instead of joining them to NES pins 57 and 58 so that MMC5 games work. Does After Burner and Gauntlet also use any extra pins?