Someone bought this rad FM Towns II computer via eBay late last week and now I'm sad

I'm sad, of course, because, in a perfect world, I would've won this particular auction, as I've wanted to own some sort of FM Towns system since I first laid eyes on one in an old issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine.

Granted, if I were to drop my hard-earned dough on one of maker Fujitsu's FM Towns machines, which were released in Japan between 1989 and 1997, it probably would make more sense for me to pick up an FM Towns Marty console rather than the PC variant seen below, but the latter won me over with its "original Macintosh" looks.



Anyway, this entire conversation is moot due to the fact that I only discovered this auction after it had wrapped up--and even if I'd come across it earlier, I wouldn't have had $960 to blow on it.

As for which games I would've bought alongside this FM Towns II (in the hypothetical situation that would've allowed me to do such a thing): the system's arcade-perfect Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands ports, for starters. I'd also love its supposedly spot-on Splatterhouse conversion, although I've heard copies tend to be pricey.

(Via retro-treasures.blogspot.com)

Reason #400 I could be considered an 'eccentric' (aka bat-sh*t crazy) gamer

If I could find an FM Towns Marty system at a reasonable price--most of the ones I've seen on eBay go for around $899--I'd buy one quicker than you can say "are you nuts?"

Even nuttier: I'm only interested in buying three games alongside said system at this point--Bubble Bobble, The New Zealand Story and Rainbow Islands.

That's not where the nuttiness ends, though. The trio of games I just mentioned are, with a few exceptions, simple ports of the arcade originals. Also, I can already play all three of them on my PS2 thanks to the copy of Taito Legends that I picked up a few years ago.

Still, I can't help but want both an FM Towns Marty and the above-mentioned titles. Here's hoping I never find one cheap enough to make this nutty dream come true.

See also: Other reasons I could be considered an 'eccentric' (aka bat-sh*t crazy) gamer

Reason #396 I could be considered an 'eccentric' (aka bat-sh*t crazy) gamer

How's this for eccentric (or bat-shit crazy, if that's the terminology you prefer)? Not only am I a self-proclaimed "box-art whore"--as in, I buy, or at least I want to buy, certain games simply because of the art that graces their box covers--but I'm a box-art whore who often finds himself desiring games that he can't possibly play (because I don't own the systems that are needed to play them).

Here are a few recent examples:

Fantasy Zone II for the Mark III

Panorama Cotton for the Mega Drive

Rainbow Islands Extra for the FM Towns

Yume Meikyū Kigurumi Daibōken (aka Dream Maze) for the Super Famicom

I also really want to buy copies of Bubble Bobble for the FM Towns (cover art shown in this recent post) and Puzzle Bobble Mini for the Neo Geo Pocket (cover art shown in this post).

I can't be the only gamers who thinks this way, can I?

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Bubble Bobble edition)

Most of the "Which Box Art is Better?" posts I've published over the years have focused on current or upcoming titles. Today's is going to focus on a classic: Bubble Bobble.

Fukio Mitsuji's single-screened platformer has been ported to a number of home systems since it first made a splash in arcades around in the world in 1986. Among the systems to receive said ports: The Sega Mark III (aka the Master System), the Game Gear, the FM Towns and the Famicom Disk System. (It was released in cartridge form for the NES).

For some strange reason, the game was re-titled Final Bubble Bobble when it was released for the Sega Mark III. Here's that version's box art:

Every other home version of the game retained the original title. Only the Famicom Disk System's cover, however, made use of the original concept art (as seen in the cover art below).

The NES version's packaging (below), for instance, featured art that was less precious and more cartoonish than its Japanese counterpart.

The art that graced the cover of the Game Gear port of this popular quarter muncher was created using a similar style.

As unique as the illustrations above are, they pale in comparison to the imagery that was created for the cover of the FM Towns iteration of the game.

Which do I prefer? I hate to say it's a tie, but that's what it is for me--with my two top picks being the FM Towns and the Sega Mark III box arts. Anyway, that's just my opinion on the matter. What's yours?

See also: Previous 'Which Box Art is Better?' posts