BEST Famicom exclusive?

Started by Protoman, July 16, 2015, 04:08:58 am

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zmaster18

I like the early Namco games like Mappy and Dig Dug. Even though I'm not a huge fan of Atlantis no Nazo, I think it was a very ambitious early Famicom game.

L___E___T

My for Sale / Trade thread
http://www.famicomworld.com/forum/index.php?topic=9423.msg133828#msg133828
大事なのは、オチに至るまでの積み重ねなのです。

chowder

Challenger.  I love that game for some reason.

Shumi Nagaremono

Crisis Force is the one that immediately springs to mind. 

o.pwuaioc

Seconding Holy Diver, Recca, Crisis Force, but also Dig Dug II, Goonies, Mappy, and Galaxian. A translated FFIII (if you don't know Japanese) is also a great gem.

M-Tee

July 19, 2015, 02:44:55 am #20 Last Edit: July 23, 2015, 07:20:17 pm by M-Tee
I think a Best Famicom Exclusive by Year discussion would yield much fairer results. These are suggestions for Famicom cart releases only during the FC's 11-year officially supported lifespan. I'll chime in periodically with a post to cover each year, and simultaneously post these over on my blog.

I'll also include a language dependency rating for each, a simpler version of what BoardGameGeek uses:

None: Game's entirely in English. For non-English speakers, these would likely classify as "low," considering they were released in a non-English market.
Low: Completely playable without knowledge of the game's language. Likely contains minor text including starting menus, winning / victory screens, or cut scenes that do not affect gameplay.
Medium: Might require a cheat sheet for battle menus or specific game segments, etc.
High: Unplayable without a translation or working level of the game's language.

So, here it goes:



1983
Gomoku Narabe Renju
Language Dependency: Low

   
Connect 5, like Tic-Tac-Toe (Naughts & Crosses) with far greater depth. Players alternate turns placing stones on the board in an attempt to get 5-in-a-row. Features 2-player competitive play and a competent CPU opponent. The wife and I have played this one numerous times, in lieu of pulling out one of our Go boards. A passing familiarity with the starting restrictions intended to reduce Black's first-move advantage alleviates any confusion one would have when starting, but even without, it doesn't take much trail and error to figure them out.

Runner-Up:
Popeye no Eigo Asobi (Popeye's English Game)
Language Dependency: Medium

   
Puzzle Game A mode is a fantastically fun learning game, which takes on new life as a learning tool for an English speaker that's studying very basic Japanese. Word Catcher is a pretty unique 2-player competitive version of the same setup, but Puzzle Game B is basically just Hangman in English.

Fun Fact: Still want to learn some Japanese through a Hangman-like game, but can't read it? Have no fear, KingMike's Fan Translation, which romanizes all of the Japanese text, is the answer for you:

   


Post Merge: July 19, 2015, 09:03:39 am

1984
Nuts & Milk
Language Dependency: None

   
The first third-party title for the Famicom, and to-date one of the best entries in the library. An extremely entertaining, albeit simple, single-screen platformer, Nuts & Milk features 50 levels (available at game start via the select button), two difficulties, and a level-editor. In it, you play as Milk, a pre-Kirby-esque blob, who must collect all the fruit on each stage to reach his lady friend, while avoiding his blue-skinned counterpart(s). I've put far too many hours into this one since acquiring it last year or so, and will likely continue to do so.

Runner-Up:
Mappy
Language Dependency: None

   
An arcade port, another platformer, but with horizontal scrolling. You're Mappy, a cop mouse. Your job is to retrieve stolen good from a series of mansions filled with trampolines, doors, and cats.

Also Available in Europe:
Devil World
Language Dependency: None

       
Would have taken the Runner-Up spot were it not also released in Europe. A first-party title in the Pac-Man maze game category, where you and a pal can play as two dragons co-op and must avoid obvious precursors to Shy Guys while trying to thwart the plans of the azure-skinned and scarlet-pantied Devil. Heavy on arbitrary use of Christian symbolism, this could have been a contender stateside with a bit of localization, either as a very early release or as a budget title later on.

nerdynebraskan

I actually like several of the simple NROM games as well. The FC port of Dig Dug is really well done.

But I understand the clear favoritism shown here toward the powerhouse carts like Crisis Force and Gimmick! as well. When I think of great games, my first inclination is also to reach for the titles whose hardware and software really pushed the platform to its limits.

Altogether, I think there are about 150 great FC games that never saw international release, and I'm not good at narrowing a list that massive to one definitive best. Adventure Island IV, Final Fantasy III, and Holy Diver have all been mentioned here, and I'll repeat them. Mother/Earthbound Zero and Sweet Home are a couple of other RPGs that would've outclassed half of the ones we did get in the US. Gradius II, Recca, and Uchuu Keibitai SDF are elite shooters. Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa, Mitsume Gatooru, Moon Crystal, Tetris 2 and Bombliss, and Wai Wai World 2 all deserve a mention as well.
Can Nintendo Age Beat Every NES Game in 2015?

http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=31&threadid=140551

P

Even though answering the initial question seems impossible, this is a great thread as it highlights many of the most loved exclusives. ;D

Devil World isn't Famicom exclusive though. I know I played it on NES long ago and it wasn't localized at all.

M-Tee

That's why I mentioned that Devil World was released in Europe.  ;D

To a North American collector who just picked up a Famicom, it'd be new to them, so I reckoned it was worth mentioning. Nintendo of America did have a fairly strict "no Christian symbolism" rule  at the time, and in Reagan-era U.S, it likely favored them very well.

Likely some of these may have had offiial "Asia Version" 72-pin releases as well. I'll need to track  down a list of those to make note of as well.

senseiman

I dont think anyone has mentioned these gems yet:

Battle City
Banana
Yuma Penguin Monogatari
Route 16
Gordy no Pipeline
Star Wars (namco version)

All good games.

P

Quote from: M-Tee on July 19, 2015, 08:55:38 pm
That's why I mentioned that Devil World was released in Europe.  ;D

To a North American collector who just picked up a Famicom, it'd be new to them, so I reckoned it was worth mentioning. Nintendo of America did have a fairly strict "no Christian symbolism" rule  at the time, and in Reagan-era U.S, it likely favored them very well.

Likely some of these may have had offiial "Asia Version" 72-pin releases as well. I'll need to track  down a list of those to make note of as well.


Oh right you did mention it wasn't an exclusive. I didn't think the anti-religion policy was in effect that early though, since there are many crucifixes in games that seemed to have slipped through. The cross in Zelda II comes to mind.

M-Tee

I don't know the ins-and-outs. Apparently, it officially started in 1988.

Likely though, releasing a name with Devil in the title unless you were specifically marketing the Hard Rock / Metal crowd in the 80s in the states wouldn't have been a wise decision. Haha

L___E___T

I for one have never understood that - are certain regions in the States THAT sensitive?  England is obviously a Christian country and we've never had any problem with Christian imagery in popular culture, even The Life of Brian was deemed acceptable overall back in the late 70s and early 80s (although there was some vocal opposition)..

I've never understood how having a meager cross in games was a massive problem, is it a Catholic thing?
My for Sale / Trade thread
http://www.famicomworld.com/forum/index.php?topic=9423.msg133828#msg133828
大事なのは、オチに至るまでの積み重ねなのです。

zmaster18

Star Wars by Namco is a good one. Even though it's friggin tough and there's no continues, it's an awesome test of skill. I especially like the music and cinematic scenes.

Ghegs

Quote from: zmaster18 on July 20, 2015, 09:23:38 am
Star Wars by Namco is a good one. Even though it's friggin tough and there's no continues


There actually are continues, but they're hidden. When the Game Over screen with Vader's head appears, hold up and press A eight times. I recall it requires having a certain amount of Force energy left, or it won't work.

Really fun game, too. I was working on a no-continue clear a year or so ago and I managed to get pretty far in (Hoth, I think it was) before I got distracted by something shiny. Been meaning to get back to it. Alas...