Custom Nintendo Famicom Cases

Being a collector of action figures (Transformers) there came a time where I started to care more about how I displayed my collection. In the past I used open air track shelving, but in recent years started to remove some of the shelves to make room for glass cabinets from Ikea. Then I started to tweak each shelf more by using acrylic risers to get the look that I wanted.

This mind set has eventually manifested itself with my video game collection. While I've always had my games organized on media shelves, I decided to take it a step further to improve the look of the games on the shelves. While I understand that not everyone will understand why I've done what I've done, it's OK. There is no wrong way to collect or to display your hobby.

I'm blessed to have a second living room on the main floor of my home. I'm super blessed that my wife has graciously allowed me to set up an arcade machine, two televisions, over 20 video game consoles along with 5 media shelves that house my games. With my room being wide open on the main floor my wife's one rule is that I keep the room clean and nice looking. While she hasn't specifically told me I needed to "box" my loose cartridge games, it does look the shelves look a little nicer in my opinion.

While there are many options to "case" loose cartridge games like NES, SNES and more, I've yet to find a pre-made hard plastic case for loose Nintendo Famicom games. I know that Namco and Taito released some of their games in hard plastic cases, but even if I could find a supply of cases to use I still wouldn't have the artwork to place inside the exterior sleeve. I've looked all over the web for some type of solution to help me with my dilemma and I finally found what I was looking for...in Russia of all places.

Thanks to eBay seller bitspixels, I now have two hard plastic cases for the games Holy Diver and Tokkyuu Shirei Solbrain (Shatterhand). These are small clamshell like cases, think Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. They snap shut tightly, have clips on the inside to hold the cartridge in place and have a clear film on the exterior of the case for artwork. 

I haven't seen anything like this on The Cover Project's website or in the forums, so I'm assuming this seller is making the artwork himself. I've already been in contact with him to see if it was possible to have artwork created for games I own that he doesn't already have in his eBay store. It'll take some time I'm told, but is doable.

The cartridges fit snugly inside the case with two tight clips on each end to hold the game in place. There are four small raised corners so you know exactly where the cartridge should go. There isn't a clip or a designated place for manuals and unfortunately I didn't have a Famicom manual handy to test. I do believe they'll sit right on top of the cartridge itself, but I don't know if it'll move around once the case is closed.

The plastic seems to be of a good quality. It doesn't feel cheap or brittle, very close to the same quality of a Sega Master System / Genesis case. The clear film on the exterior of the case is just a smooth translucent plastic. I did notice it wasn't perfectly cut above the seam and there was a small piece that overlapped the top or bottom of the case. It was barely noticeable and doesn't detract from the case's overall look. The artwork looks nice, but up close you can tell the level of print quality is sub-par when compared to other custom artwork I've seen online. That said, I've never seen this format anywhere so I may be a little more critical than necessary.

I love how they look spine out on my shelves. As you can see, they are very similar in size to the hard plastic cases Namco used for some of their games. While the case is virtually the same height of the Namco case, they are a little thinner.

I only have one boxed Taito Famicom game and as you can see the Taito case is taller and wider than bitspixels' cases. The depth is about the same however.

These cases sell for $6.99 each plus shipping. The cases I ordered took about two weeks for them to be delivered by USPS. I would've gotten them sooner, but I had to sign for the delivery and they came on a day I wasn't working from home. Overall I'm impressed by these cases. The overall quality is very good and they look beautiful on my shelving. I'm already in the process of reorganizing everything to make room to case all of my loose Famicom games. It'll take some time and money, but I think once it's all said and done it'll be worth it. I'll try to post updates as I'm able to.

Baseball (Nintendo Famicom)

I'm not a huge fan of sports video games, in fact until recently I only owned a few select sports games. Over the past few weeks however I've started picking up various baseball games, both domestic and import games. Perhaps it's my love for watching baseball or my baseball card blog that has sparked the interest, but I figured why not share a few of these games.

I thought about doing a top 10 list, but it's so hard for me to rank games like that so I'll just stick to a single post for each game. I wasn't sure where to start either, so why not head to the 3rd generation and start with Baseball?

This is the Famicom version of the game obviously. The game was originally released in Japan in 1983 as part of the "pulse" set. This picture label of the game was released in 1985. Developed and published by Nintendo themselves, I thought this would be a pretty decent 8-bit game. Afterall, the game that shares the same name on the Game Boy was pretty good. Sadly I was wrong.

The game does support two player, head to head action...which I guess is a good thing. This game did not have any licensing from Major League Baseball or the Players Association, so all you get to chose from are a few generic teams represented by different letters of the alphabet.

There is only one game to play and that is your traditional 9 innings. No options to spice up the gameplay or to even shorten the length of the game.

This the main screen you'll see whether you're batting or pitching. It's pretty basic with your in field diamond and your infielders. Notice there is only one umpire and he's behind the plate. He'll magically appear in the field where there is a play at one of the bases. Your score and ball/strike count legends appear in the lower left corner of the screen.

Controls are pretty basic when it comes to pitching and fielding. The players will run to the ball when it's hit. If it's a pop fly, you can basically just let the computer guide your player underneath the ball for the out. However when it's a line drive to the outfield, you will have to direct you player to the ball. Then you'll have to wait and wait some more for the sluggish outfielder to pick up the ball. Right on the D-pad is 1st base, up is 2nd base and left is 3rd base. Pitching isn't complicated either. Press a direction on the D-pad and press B to throw the ball. Don't worry about walking too many batters or striking them out as the computer will most likely nail every pitch you make.

Get used to seeing this Home Run screen. Not because you are the one hitting all the HRs, but because the computer will probably bury you. My game started off pretty good, then in the 3rd inning I gave up a solo HR and then a 3 run HR. I eventually hit a HR of my own to come within 3 runs...then the massacre began. It was so depressing I turned the game off in the 7th inning because there was no way in hades I was going to win.

Yes, you read the score correctly. I was getting beat 26 to 1 in the top of the 7th inning. Maybe this is why I really don't like sports games...because I suck! Yeah, it was a pretty bad outing by me and my team...but I at least was able to enjoy the game. I can't say I'll be re-visiting this game much in the near future, it's still a fun reminder of how far baseball video games have come in the last 20 or so years.

Pocket Zaurus: Juu Ouken no Nazo (Nintendo Famicom)

Pocket Zaurus: Juu Ouken no Nazo

Bandai

Bandai, 1987

One of the things that I enjoy about the Famicom is the sheer amount of games that are available for the console. Many of these games can be purchased for just a few dollars and even if you're buying them from an overseas seller the shipping usually isn't too bad since the carts are small and light.

From time to time I'll take a chance on a game, especially if I'm already buying something else as another game doesn't usally effect shipping too much. Enter Bandai's Pocket Zaurus: Juu Ouken no Nazo.

Going into this game I knew nothing about it, only that it was a side scrolling action game. I grabbed this quite awhile ago and it was shelved immediately, only to recently be played for the first time. Judging from the art on the cart's front label I was looking forward to playing the game. Seeing the little dude holding a large boomerang I thought may this could be Power Blade-esque? 

Nope. The game plays nothing like Power Blade, one of my favs on the NES. You control what appears to be some type of green dinosaur boy. You walk left to right and can attack with a short range projectile attack. You'll notice at the bottom of the screen is a large black area that lists your lives, health and score. Throughout the game other words will appear here, but since I can't read Japanese I have no idea what it half the text is saying. 

After doing a little research it appears that the words that pop up are a type of quiz. I think it may effect the story (which I still can't figure out) and you can earn power up items with correct answers.

I played for about a half hour and while it wasn't boring, I couldn't quite get in a groove. It just seemed like your mediocre NES era action game. Nothing special to stand out in a crowed library for the system.

The 2nd level started off as a side scrolling shmup and instantly I thought maybe the game had potential. This part of the game felt a little like Fantasy Zone, however the shooting part was short lived as it wasn't long before I was flying over the ground and my character jumped out of his round little ship. I tried to keep playing the game and figure it out, but after continuing a few times I just lost interest. I'll revisit the game again at a later date to see if I can get any further, but for my first playthrough let's just say the grade I give the game is "I" for Incomplete.

Holy Diver (Famicom)

Holy Diver

Irem (1989)

One thing about having a lot of games in your library is it's easy to forget what you have at times. Holy Diver for the Nintendo Famicom is one of those games that simply got lost in the shuffle. I picked up this game years ago when it could be had for a reasonable amount. I had heard it was a Castlevania ripoff essentially so I was intrigued to say the least.

I settled for a loose cart of the game. I love how small and compact the Famicom carts are. The name and cover art alone were enough to entice me to give the game a try. I've heard the game's story pays homage to several 80's heavy metal bands such as Dio, Slayer, King Crimson and Ozzy Osborne. Since the games' store is in Japanese I can't confirm this, but I could care less for the story as it's the gameplay that I'm most interested in.

Irem is one of those game developers that I wasn't as familiar with back in the NES days. I was never a fan of R-Type, the only other game from Irem that I had heard of. However Holy Diver is one of those sleeper type games that deserves to be played by a wider audience. I knew once I put the cartridge in my Famicom A/V console and the title screen loaded I was in for a treat.

To me it's pretty apparent that this game borrows a lot of ideas from Castlevania and while some may say it's a direct ripoff, I feel as if the game has it's own charm and frustrations. Your character attacks with some sort of magic projectile attack. In addition to being able to attack horizontally, he can also attack vertically. This comes in handy in many areas. As you progress through the game you'll also pick up items that grant you additional magic upgrades. This magic consumes various levels of Mana. There is a gauge just below your health bar in the upper left corner of the screen. I've learned that you have to be smart when using your Mana as it doesn't replenish all that quickly in most cases. Enemies will drop small blue crystals that give you 2 points of Mana, but many of the spells will require 4 or more Mana points.

When you pause the screen you'll see the items you've collected as well as the magic spells at your disposal. You start off with Twin Fire, this spell gives you an extra projectile to attack your enemies with. It only uses 2 points of Mana for each attach. When you press the Select button on your controller you'll essentially turn your magic on and off.

The game looks beautiful despite your character lacking much in the color department. I should add that the normal gray/white color of your character changes to shades of blue when you have your magic activated. The animation is pretty smooth and the colors are vibrant. There is some parallax scrolling such as the beginning of the 2nd level. Do these winged creatures remind you of the ones from Altered Beast? 

Unlike the sluggish Simon Belmont in the first Castlevania game, your character in Holy Diver is a bit more fluid. I feel like the jumping motion isn't as stiff, though you still can't jump onto or off of steps or staircases.

Level design is pretty cool from what I can tell. I still haven't been able to get past the 2nd stage, but it appears the level design gets a darker look the further you progress. Lets make no mistake about it, this game is hard. Throw your controller on the floor and yell at the screen hard. However it's fun. Despite me not making it very far, I kept coming back for more. Thankfully you have unlimited continues, however the levels are broken up into 3 sections and if you continue you start back at the very beginning of the level. There are several religious undertones in the game so it's no surprise this game never made it to the NES.

Holy Diver isn't a perfect game, but I think it's a lot of fun. I hate to see that the game is now close to $100 on the secondary market, but I've seen a NES fan translated reproduction online. I believe it's also going to be one of the games on the forth coming Retrobit plug and play console. This game needs to be played in some fashion so when you get the change give it a try...and another...and another. It's a frustrating game, but give it some time and I think you'll enjoy it as much as I.

Tokyuu Shirei Solbrain (Nintendo Famicom)

Who didn't like the NES growing up? I have vivid memories of playing my Nintendo as a young kid and when it was time to head down to the local Toys 'R Us to buy a new game it was indeed a special day. Long before video game reviews were the norm, many people I suspect would buy a game based off a rental they made had previously made or by the box art of the game alone. The NES library had some wild artwork and one of the games that drew me in was Shatterhand.

As a kid I thought this looked pretty awesome. Today...yeah it has a bit of that cheesy element going on, but I've seen worse. Being that Shatterhand was one of my all time favorite NES games, I was thrilled when I found out several years ago that in Japan Shatterhand was a slightly different game. Based off a sentai show, Super Rescue Solbrain, the game looks different but pretty much plays the same.

I love the blue Famicom cart with its sentai character on the front label. It took me awhile to track down even a loose copy of this game for a reasonable price.

Developed by Angel, a now defunct subsidiary of Bandai. Solbrain features a different opening scene from Shatterhand. Instead of a dude wearing shades, a t-shirt and jeans you get to control a Power Rangers looking character.

The game starts immediately on this construction yard. Unlike most games of the time, instead of attacking your enemies with a gun or other type of weapon you get to punch your way through the level. Your character can jump, kneel and punch. After pressing the B button 3 or 4 times, your quick jabs turn into a slower, but more powerful punch. As long as you are standing in one place your punches will continue to be the slower variety.

Once you defeat the boss at the end of the opening level, you are taken to a level select screen. This reminded me of Mega Man in that you can pick the order of the levels you take on. Notice the level in the upper right hand corner. This is a carnival level, exclusive to the Famicom game. In Shatterhand, this level was replaced with a submarine level. Nintendo was known for it's censorship and I imagine the boss of the carnival level is why this part of the game was changed for it's North American release...

...you fight two women that leap around the room. Sorry for the blurry picture, I was trying to snap the picture quickly, so fast that my camera didn't have a chance to focus. It's been awhile since I've played Shatterhand, but from what I remember I found this carnival level and it's boss to be more entertaining that the submarine level.

As you progress through the level you'll find white boxes that you can punch open to reveal a few different things. Greek letters can be collected to aid you in your fight. When three letters are collected, a drone is created and hovers over you. Depending on the combination of letters, your drone may attack with a grenade, boomerangs, a laser, fire or another form of attack. Trying to remember the different combinations to create your favorite drone can be tough. 

Also found in the boxes are orange boxes with a "P" in the middle. This is basically the game's form of currency. The amount of "money" you have is shown in the bottom left corner of the screen, just below your health. At times you'll find a large white box with a "P" in the middle. If you continue to punch it you'll get several of the orange currency boxes, larger boxes when your punches turn to the stronger version. Be careful however because some white boxes may contain a grenade that will explode once revealed.

The currency can be used to replenish your life, power up your attack or buy another life. You'll find white boxes on the ground with a number value on them. The money you collect on each level does not carry over to the next level so you might as well spend it when you can.

My personal favorite drone type to create is this one that hurls a grenade in a downward fashion in front of you. This one is created when you collect 3 of the Greek "b" letters. I should also mention that regardless of the drone you create, if you press down and A & B together, your drone will hover directly over your character and pick you up and flies you straight up into the air. This is a feature that I never knew of until my recent play through.

If you have a drone and collect a different collection of 3 letters, your current drone will simply be replaced with the new one. However if you collect the same 3 letters as the drone you currently have, it will be replaced with a larger, more powerful hand held weapon. In the case of collecting 6 "b" letters, you'll get a bazooka like weapon. I was able to make quick work of many enemies, even a few bosses with this weapon. This new firepower however is on a timer and will eventually run out and be replaced with your drone again.

Once you are able to complete all 5 stages, your selection screen shows a what appears to be a missile silo. I hope you are ready for a challenge because this level is tough!

By now I hope you have a cheat sheet handy of which combination of letters creates which drone because you are going to need some offensive help! There are many hazards on the level and the enemy characters are strategically placed to give you a fit. I got the grenade drone once or twice and it helped me make it through what I thought was the half way point. I had to fight the same boss again from the opening level of the game. Once I took him out, the level kept going. It wasn't long before I died and I expected to start right where I beat the boss...but nope! The game sent me back to the beginning of the level. Argh! I hate it when games do this.

Overall I love this game from beginning to the end. The difficulty curve isn't too bad. It's not punishingly hard, but it's not a cake walk either. Most of the enemies do follow a pattern, as do the bosses. Thankfully the enemies don't regenerate if you backtrack a little to pick up that item they drop. There doesn't seem to be a limit to the number of continues so that does help the replay ability of the game.

The game isn't that different from Shatterhand, minus the carnival level. With the high price tag of the game I can't really recommend it unless you are a huge fan. Go and pick up Shatterhand if you want to play the game. I hate the term "hidden gem", but it's a game that seems to be overlooked and it's a lot of fun to play.