Famicom World

The Famicom/NES library of games is huge, and generally excellent by any standard. I would go a step further and call it the best collection of games on one platform in video game history, and I suspect many here would agree with me. But it's not perfect, right? There were dozens of clunkers, while at the same time there were plenty of games that we could have had or should have had but never did.

So, here's the question:

What game(s) would you most wish you could play on your 8-bit Nintendo console of choice?

Would it be a game based on a favorite movie, tv show, or comic book? Maybe it was overlooked completely, or maybe you just need your beloved X-Men to get more effort than LJN was willing to shell out for?

Would it be a sequel? Why couldn't we get a second Felix the Cat or Rygar, when we got four Bases Loaded games?

I'll start things off. I would've LOVED a good Transformers game. Imagine one like the first GI Joe (by Taxan), with good graphics, strong gameplay, multiple playable Autobots (with different attributes), and 15 or so Decepticon boss fights. Wouldn't that be awesome?

Quote from: nerdynebraskan on May 21, 2013, 06:06:40 pm
a second Felix the Cat

That. Or perhaps Armadillo II to have actually been released.
(http://i.imgur.com/PYV4Rur.jpg)

I'd love someone to turn the GameCenter CX games for DS into actual Famicom games - Cosmic Gate, Robot Ninja Haggle Man Rally King, Star Prince, Rally King SP, Robot Ninja Haggle Man 2, Guadia Quest, Robot Ninja Haggle Man 3.

I'd also like to see Famicom version of the GameCenter CX 2 list of 8-bit titles - WizMan, Super Kung Fu Fighting, Demon Returns,
Detective Kacho Parts 1 & 2, Guadia Quest Saga and GunDuel

Also, I'd realllllly like a skilled hacker or team of hackers to fully convert the PC versions of Rockman 7 and Rockman 8 FC to actually work on the Famicom, as well as of course Megaman 9 and 10 on Wii.



As for 8-bit games that don't exist at all? I'd like to see Famicom versions of early SNES series like F-Zero or Pilotwings. I could picture a Rally King overhead perspective F-Zero and maybe a sidesrolling Pilotwings.

Armadillo II could've been pretty cool. I'd probably like it even better if they'd possibly improved the physics a bit for the sequel. The control is a little slow and awkward, but it's not unusual to tweak things like that for sequels. Is there any word whether it ever reached prototype?

And I would pay good money for de-makes of Mega Man 7, 8, 9 and 10. For that matter, someone needs to make an original hardware repro of that Street Fighter/Mega Man anniversary game. Good calls, satoshi.

Despite the fact that Armadillo is tied with Hoshi No Kirby for my favorite game ever, I admit it's a flawed game. I don't think the problem lies in the control, though. I found no issues controlling Armadillo whatsoever in any of his forms, I'd saw the game's flaw lies in its slowdown. I would have liked to have seen Armadillo's walkspeed and ball speed increased in the sequel, almost like he'd have the shoe powerup from the start.

I don't know if the game reached prototype stage, however as you can see in the flyer I posted above, screenshots of the game do exist, and one thing that disappoints me is that Armadillo's sprite from the original would have been changed... I greatly prefer his original sprite. But the backgrounds in those screenshots look great, makes me wish more was known about this game... and that it was actually released. But I can't complain, I'm more than happy with the games that did come out for Famicom. But it's still nice to try and picture what Armadillo II might have been like.

Edit: And it's cool that the poster shows screenshots from the planned Armadillo Gaiden for the Game Boy, which was repackaged and released as "Ultraman Ball"

I have that flyer if you need a bigger scan of the screens.  As for me - I would say I want an 8-bit Dark Souls, but a) Castlevania already fulfills that I think and b) a 16-bit or even 32-bit Dark Souls would be a better proposal (enemy details, animation etc.).

So here's my suggestion on what I'd like to see.  Appleseed.  8-bit Appleseed.  A good one, as good as Batman, Shatterhand or Vice at least.  Ideally better.

(http://miotd.com/images/20080203.post.jpg)

Project A-Ko....this anime could've had a great action platformer
(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/41320_1584646138082_7126435_n.jpg)

Nice!   I also saw your Ninja Scroll mashup and heartily agree.

Also, not quite game and more software, but how awesome would it be to have a Famicom version that ran natively:

I'd also have loved home ports of Konami's beat em ups for X-Men and The Simpsons. They definitely would've lost something on NES hardware, but they would've been a lot more fun than the X-Men and Simpsons games we did get. The Simpsons Arcade was probably my favorite arcade game ever. I've never played the X-Men one, but it looks fun. It definitely would've been possible, since the TMNT arcade game was ported. (I've heard the lack of X-Men and Simpsons ports blamed on the fact that Konami didn't have and couldn't get home licensing rights, which were in the hands of the infamous LJN/Acclaim at the time.)

A second Faxanadu, obviously :) I made this mock up for a Wii-game earlier, but I´d so buy it for NES too!
(http://i40.tinypic.com/9vhzcg.jpg)

A solid racing game. I love my Famicom and I love racing games, but sadly these two loves don't meet. If there was at least one really good racing game for the Famicom I could (just as hypothetically) sell all my other systems and just keep the Famicom.

I can even envision what the game would be like...it would be an isometric racer, like R.C. Pro Am. The style would be similar to Neo Geo's Neo Drift Out and Over Top, with the focus on time attacking. Games like Rad Racer and the gazillion F1 racers aren't really that good, the hardware just isn't quite up to this style of faux-3D. Exciting Rally is the one that comes closest to being good, but even that falls short due to some design issues.

Makes me want to roll up my sleeves and learn NES programming.

That's interesting. I'm not a big racing fan, but I've got four good racing games in my NES collection: Galaxy 5000, Micro Machines, and RC Pro-Am 1 + 2. I just looked at GameFAQs, and none of the four were sold on the Famicom. I would've guessed Micro Machines didn't make it over, since it was an unlicensed game that was actually programmed by a UK company. But wow, none of the three good licensed racing games got published in Japan?

Micro Machines was developed and published by Codesmaters and saw a release here, but for whatever reason Codies couldn't properly publish in America, let alone Japan.  I personally find Micro Machines really fun, but it's not the racing game I'm looking for.  An 8-bit F-Zero if done properly would've been great, but seeng as F-Zero was made to compete with Genesis hardware (SMK was sloooow) then it becomes very hypothetical indeed.

Codemasters was a pretty solid developer in the NES era. I really like several of the games by Camerica, which was their US subsidiary.

If I recall correctly, the Genesis is still faster than an SNES, let alone an NES. I actually prefer the Genesis versions of most any game that got ported to both it and the SNES. The SNES had better graphics, so their ports looked cooler, but the Genesis versions tend to play a bit quicker and smoother (and that's really more important, isn't it?).

I had considered all the NES-exclusive racing titles, but they don't quite make the cut for me either. Micro Machines and the R.C. Pro Am's have a decent enough engine, but the gameplay modes don't hold my interest. If I could at least freely choose what track I want to play and use the car I like for it, that'd go a long way. Micro Machine's sports cars have a nice sense of speed and handling while R.C. Pro Am goes quite fast especially when you drive over the boost pads. But both offer only a strict game progression where the player doesn't get any choice as to what to play and how, and R.C. Pro Am's also have combat which I don't like in my racing games.

Basically, what I want is something like SNES' [/url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1a9__QqCag[/url]Power Drive[/url] for the NES/Famicom. It wouldn't have to look any better than R.C. Pro Am so the system could definitely handle it, it's just a matter of gameplay design.

Quote from: nerdynebraskan on May 22, 2013, 01:55:21 pm
I'd also have loved home ports of Konami's beat em ups for X-Men and The Simpsons. They definitely would've lost something on NES hardware, but they would've been a lot more fun than the X-Men and Simpsons games we did get. The Simpsons Arcade was probably my favorite arcade game ever. I've never played the X-Men one, but it looks fun. It definitely would've been possible, since the TMNT arcade game was ported. (I've heard the lack of X-Men and Simpsons ports blamed on the fact that Konami didn't have and couldn't get home licensing rights, which were in the hands of the infamous LJN/Acclaim at the time.)

If I was 5 years old again, this is probably what the kid in me would've said back then. I absolutely adored the Arcade Simpsons game.  You actually reminded me of back when, I thought Bart vs The Space Mutants was The Arcade port. I was so excited to see (think) it was on the NES. My parents bought it for me, I got home to play it to only find out the game was not what I thought was. It was such a disappointing moment. I also remember my eyes lighting up after that of seeing mention of other Simpsons Games on NES and SNES only to find out it wasn't that one either.

I think you might enjoy the X-Men most if played with a full party of 4 or 6.

I'm glad I'm not the only one here who remembers the Simpsons Arcade. I still remember Marge tripping up goons with her vacuum cleaner; it's the only time she's ever been cool. I would totally drop at least $50 if anyone could port it or X-Men anywhere as good as the NES version of TMNT Arcade, even though I'm sure an NES version would only be for two players. I would also buy it repro-ed for Genesis or SNES, and I don't even collect repros for those consoles.

Obviously, I always wanted Uninvited 2. Because they could bring Dracon back again with magic and have people come to the house again.

Quote from: nerdynebraskan on May 26, 2013, 08:52:31 am
I'm glad I'm not the only one here who remembers the Simpsons Arcade. I still remember Marge tripping up goons with her vacuum cleaner; it's the only time she's ever been cool. I would totally drop at least $50 if anyone could port it or X-Men anywhere as good as the NES version of TMNT Arcade, even though I'm sure an NES version would only be for two players. I would also buy it repro-ed for Genesis or SNES, and I don't even collect repros for those consoles.

Both would definitely be best suited for SNES or Genesis. Optional Multitap functionality would be a must. I haven't played the X-Men Co-op much, I'm saving the experience for when I have a group of 4-6 to play with. Thankfully, there's arcade preservation. <3

I would pay handsomely for a four-player Simpsons or X-Men arcade experience ported to the Genesis or SNES. I would prefer an NES port (even 2-player only, almost certainly) for personal reasons, but a 16-bit version would be probably close to duplicating the original game.

And I know those games are popular with the arcade crowd, but I'll never have an arcade cabinet in my house. They take up way too much space for me, and to be honest I never liked gaming while standing up. I like having my ass on the floor in front of the TV, with controller in hand.

I'm bumping this up because of something I was reminded of in another thread: Another R.O.B. game, and one that actually tried to take the li'l guy seriously. And maybe more Power Pad games by Nintendo. Short Order/Eggsplode was actually really fun, and completely different than the mostly generic track-and-field games that Bandai sold. Maybe some nutty homebrewer will peek at the Power Pad someday, but I won't hold my breath. As for ROBbie, there's definitely not a snowball's chance of that, is there?

There is a chance! The problem is of course that not too many people have ROB.

I'm thinking about a ROB game that can be played with a custom set that people could make themselves with dice or whatever (they would still need either ROB or Famicom Robot though). Another problem is that ROB doesn't give any feedback to the Famicom except in Gyro Set where he pushes the con II buttons with the gyros. So if the game should take place in the Famicom without an honor system like in Block Set you would need to do something like that in Gyro Set.

Yeah, it's a challenge to do something with ROB. The number of customers would definitely be limited, due to the scarcity of working ROBs and especially of the accessories for Gyromite and Stack Up. I suspect you're right that any game would require at least the use of the Gyromite controller tray, and some kind of apparatus to help ROB push/hold down the buttons. So, the interaction would still be limited to the A and B buttons on Controller 2. Anything too ambitious might require the creation of new ROB accessories, which would be super complicated and pricy... it could become the most expensive homebrew project ever! (But I'd still probably buy it, unless the sale price became obscene as a result...)

Quote from: P on June 07, 2013, 05:05:27 am
The problem is of course that not too many people have ROB.

Still, it would be beautiful if somebody created the "system seller" ROB never had  ;D I´d be glad to chase down a robot if there was a great game to it...

But he's so slow and sloooow.  Maybe a game where he bluffed and you judged him on the way he behaved afterwards :)

The game would have to take ROB's physical limitations into account to be successful. It might be interesting to incorporate him into another platformer. The timing would have to be less-breakneck than it often is in Gyromite, and his means of pushing the buttons for you would have be simpler on top of that.

Or maybe a puzzle game (probably without strict time limits)...

Got it - Nintendo themed ROB chess (and other brain games) with trash talking speech samples.

But how do you mean ROB would be used in a chess game?

Gestures is a good idea to be part of a ROB game! I'm thinking a game where ROB communicates with you with gestures. For example let's say the player is looking for a bomb but have no way to know where it is. But ROB knows, and he gives a certain response when the player asks and when on the right track. The game is of course designed so that it's very hard to find the bomb within the time limit if you don't use ROB. There's no need for the game to know what ROB is doing, since his actions doesn't affect the game directly. He only gives information to the player.

It's kind of an intriguing idea, P. But how would you make it so ROB knew where to look for the bomb?

In this example you would maybe approach the place you think the bomb is in and ask ROB to scan it. If the bomb is in there, ROB gives you a positive response. If you don't understand what ROB says (ie something is blocking ROB's movement) you can simply scan again. You can also reset ROB's position with the ON/OFF switch or with a command.

The gestures would mostly be primitive ways of saying "yes", "no" and so on but the game would also need some quirks to it to keep it interesting.

Very interesting idea! ROB reads the screen like a zapper doesn´t he? I guess you could have the game turn black with a white square representing the player, and another representing the bomb. I guess there´s a risk that the player will see the bomb even though the screen only flashes briefly though...

Anyway if it works,  it could go like this: When the player and bomb are close enough to each other, ROB raises his arms. Even better if he can raise his arms half ways when you are closing in.

The game could use both a time limit and a limited number of tries. One of the players buttons could be used to defuse the bomb, and if player is in the wrong place one "defusal set" is lost. Perhaps new sets could be collected on the stage, perhaps behind enemies...?

Quote from: That Guy from Faxanadu on June 08, 2013, 01:46:18 pm
Very interesting idea! ROB reads the screen like a zapper doesn´t he? I guess you could have the game turn black with a white square representing the player, and another representing the bomb. I guess there´s a risk that the player will see the bomb even though the screen only flashes briefly though...

He reads the screen in a similar way to the Zapper but he doesn't care about the positions of things. In fact you just fix his head to look anywhere on the screen and then you don't touch it anymore. He can never move his head on his own, only his arms. While the Zapper reports back wether it sees a white square or not when the screen is blinking, ROB receives an instruction (up, down, left, right, close arms etc) from a certain screen blinking sequence instead (it's too fast to see the sequence but you can see the screen blinking like for the zapper). So in this example the game would send the appropriate set of instructions for the gesture he needs to make when the player takes certain action (ie. scans for a bomb or is getting near one).

Quote from: That Guy from Faxanadu on June 08, 2013, 01:46:18 pm
Anyway if it works,  it could go like this: When the player and bomb are close enough to each other, ROB raises his arms. Even better if he can raise his arms half ways when you are closing in.

That's what I thought first but then I realised that the player would just see the screen blinking, take it as a hint that something is happening and not look so much at ROB. That's why I changed my mind, and came up with the idea that the player must actively ask ROB (scan) if the bomb is in the area or not. Of course, the game could have both features.

Alright. Seems like the idea would be possible at least :)

Quote from: Toneman on May 22, 2013, 06:51:03 am
Project A-Ko....this anime could've had a great action platformer
(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/41320_1584646138082_7126435_n.jpg)

I totally second this, dude! :D

I'd wish there'd been an adventure game like Jesus based on Leiji Matsumoto's Queen Millenia

A Pizza Pop X Panic Restaurant crossover would have been nice, now that I think of it.

Nintendo Power held a contest, and the winning game was to be developed, but it was not.  The mock-ups looked fantastic.  ''Something-fist?"

Quote from: Sarahconner on June 16, 2013, 08:58:05 pm
Nintendo Power held a contest, and the winning game was to be developed, but it was not.  The mock-ups looked fantastic.  ''Something-fist?"

Aww, what a pity! Are the mock ups avaliable on the net?

I gotta ask, nightstar. What would a Pizza Pop/Panic Restaurant crossover look like? What would its premise be?

Quote from: nerdynebraskan on June 17, 2013, 03:15:08 pm
I gotta ask, nightstar. What would a Pizza Pop/Panic Restaurant crossover look like? What would its premise be?

Well, I do have a few ideas as to what Panic Pop/Pizza Restaurant would be like. You'd be able to play as either Kokkun, or the Pizza Boy! (I honestly don't know if he even has a name) Maybe it would be like two separate games depending on which character you choose... Perhaps the plot could involve Hors d'Oeuvre and Nick (the villainous rival pizza boy from Pizza Pop) teaming up to... uhhh... do some bad guy stuff, I don't know man I'm not good with plots.

...Yeah that game would rule. Give the Pizza Man some powerups! One of the few complaints I have about Pizza Pop is the fact that he only has one weapon... so perhaps just as Kokkun has his wide variety of cooking utensils at his disposal, perhaps Pizza Man should have a variety of pizza-themed weapons too? Or at least a few powerups for his pizza box. Oh my God, and like the scooter/jet-ski sequences in Pizza Pop... there'd be something like that here but Kokkun would have them too. He could use the flying pan that he uses during the final boss of Panic Restaurant! He'd summon it and it could take him through shoot-em-up like segments, where he'd be able to throw plates at flying food villains! Perhaps even the cooked chickens that descended to the heavens when you destroyed the stage 2 boss? They could return for revenge on Kokkun!

Awesome. I'd play that. And don't worry too much about the plot, as neither of the original games had terribly sophisticated backstories anyway. It seemed that both villains were operating under the troll logic of

Criminal Food Service (?!) --> ??? --> PROFIT!

It would only make sense that they team up, when they both individually fail in the original games.

I can at least somewhat see Hors d'Oeuvre's motives... he felt as though his Dastardly-esque, flying-with-an-umbrella demeanor would greater attract business than Kokkun's methods. He felt he would serve as the better owner of the EaTen restaurant, and sadly, he attempted to prove so the hard way... but I'm sure at least he would have let Kokkun work as a dishwasher or something... In fact I wonder what the hell Nick's problem was... was he also an employee of Pizza Pop, and was trying to ruin our hero's deliveries so Pop would give him the employee-of-the-month award instead? Was he an employee of a rival pizza business who was trying to ruin the business of Pizza Pop overall? If Nick was also a Pizza Pop employee, him and our hero must obviously work different shifts since he was the one who placed the final delivery order of the day... or perhaps he just called in sick that day.. maybe this mystery will one day be explained if this potential crossover ever sees the light of day. I can hope.

I wish we saw a port of Commander Keen to the NES/FC.  There were plans for it at one time, but it regrettably never happened.

Bionic Commando 2.  It is unbelievable I am writing this on a forum 20+ years later.  A sequel to this game was a no-brainer, man.

Alright, here me out.  I imagine a good deal of us know about Hudson's Super Mario Bros. Special released for Japanese computers.  Well, what if it had been released on the Famicom/NES along with other top name developers' take on SMB?  One has to wonder how Konami, Capcom, Technos, or Taito might have spun the venerable series if Nintendo asked them to create their own version.   My idea would not have been the best way to preserve the integrity of the Mario brand at the time NES ruled the earth (North America, anyway), but this would be so incredibly damn cool today for those who are obsessed with Super Mario Bros.

Quote from: That Guy from Faxanadu on June 07, 2013, 02:59:25 pm

Quote from: P on June 07, 2013, 05:05:27 am
The problem is of course that not too many people have ROB.

Still, it would be beautiful if somebody created the "system seller" ROB never had  ;D I´d be glad to chase down a robot if there was a great game to it...

A series of worthwhile R.O.B. games is a brilliant idea.  It is a damn shame that Nintendo only used the poor fellow for a Trojan Horse and nothing more.  Had Nintendo released a faster, a more capable, a more playable R.O.B. 2 with a slew of fun games it would have been a thing of unimaginable beauty.

A series of Mario spinoffs could've been interesting. I really enjoy Hudson's Super Mario Bros. Special, as it actually feels like a hybrid of Super Mario and Hudson's own Adventure Island games.

Quote from: treismac on June 19, 2013, 03:42:12 pm

Quote from: That Guy from Faxanadu on June 07, 2013, 02:59:25 pm

Quote from: P on June 07, 2013, 05:05:27 am
The problem is of course that not too many people have ROB.

Still, it would be beautiful if somebody created the "system seller" ROB never had  ;D I´d be glad to chase down a robot if there was a great game to it...

A series of worthwhile R.O.B. games is a brilliant idea.  It is a damn shame that Nintendo only used the poor fellow for a Trojan Horse and nothing more.  Had Nintendo released a faster, a more capable, a more playable R.O.B. 2 with a slew of fun games it would have been a thing of unimaginable beauty.

It's not a playable game yet but... http://www.famicomworld.com/forum/index.php?topic=9542.msg135171#msg135171

I suddenly realised the other day, that the game I wish had existed and so many other people wish had, is Doukutsu Monogatari - Cave Story!


https://8bc.org/music/Chip+Champion/Cave+Story+OST/

Quote from: Toneman on May 22, 2013, 06:51:03 am
Project A-Ko....this anime could've had a great action platformer
(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/41320_1584646138082_7126435_n.jpg)

Going by the year, this would probably have received the same treatment as Project Eden. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7zuLJuNJMw#t=37s)