Introducing: the Famicart Art! tumblr

As most (all?) of you know, I'm a real sucker for anything related to the Nintendo Famicom.

Which means, of course, I've become a tiny bit obsessed with Walter Parenton's latest tumblr--he also maintains one called boygraphics--since I first became aware of it a couple of days ago.

The name of Parenton's new tumblog says it all, really: Famicart Art!

Here are a few examples of what you'll be able to ogle if you decide to follow the Famicart Art! tumblr:



The colorful cartridge above contains a Jaleco-made game called Ochin no Toshi Puzzle Tonjan!?



This spooky-looking piece of plastic, on the other hand, houses Yamamura Misa Suspense: Kyoto Hana no Misshitsu Satsujin Jiken, a Japan-only (duh) adventure game from 1989.



Finally, we have Pony Canyon's adorable Onyanko Town. This 1985 release has been on my "to buy" list for ages now. Maybe this write-up will push me to get off my butt and buy a copy of it.

While you wait for my inevitable slew of blog posts about Onyanko Town, you should head over to my Flickr photostream and check out all of the photos I've taken of Famicom game boxes, cartridges and instruction manuals.

See also: previous Famicom-focused posts

Nice Package! (Mappy, Game Gear)

I don't know if you're aware, but I'll play pretty much any version of Namcot's--or, you know, Namco's--Mappy that comes my way.

If given a choice, though, I usually go with the 1991 Game Gear port that serves as the focus of this write-up.

Why? Well, it's portable, for starters--and these days, especially, I prefer on-the-go gaming experiences to those that require me to spend time in our basement. (That's where my consoles and our TV are situated.)

I also simply like how the wizards at Namcot/Namco were able to shrink this 1983 arcade classic so it could be played on Sega's GameBoy competitor. 

And then there's the extra mode that, as far as I'm aware, only can be found in this particular version of Mappy. If you want to know more about it, read through the handful of comments shared at the end of this old post.

The gist, though, is that it features stages that are quite a bit more sprawling than those found in the original quarter-muncher. They also look kind of grimy compared to the ones most Mappy fans are used to seeing.

As exciting as Game Gear-specific offering may seem, I almost always ignore it in favor of the traditional arcade mode.



Anyway, enough about that. How about this iteration's packaging? I especially love the illustration that appears on the front of its box and cartridge, of course.

Its instruction manual includes a bunch of great illustrations, too--as should be evident while taking in the pair of snapshots above.

Don't worry, I'll publish scans of the entire booklet as part of my "Manual Stimulation" series in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts on this or any other version of Mappy in the comments section that follows.

See also: my 'Great Gaymathon' review of Mappy's Famicom port

Nice Package! (Yomawari, Vita)

Just before Halloween last year, Nippon Ichi Software released Yomawari, a Vita title that ticked off so many of my personal "these things make a great game" boxes that I decided early on it would be a travesty if I didn't pre-order a copy as soon as possible.

After all, Yomawari is both adorable and sort of creepy. Also, it has a great logo and sports some unquestionably stellar cover art.

And then there's the fact that it was made by the wonderful artists and programmers at Nippon Ichi, who have more than earned their reputation for being able to produce endearingly odd video games. 

Pretty much all of the components I just mentioned are showcased in the photo above, by the way. 

I guess you could say they're on display in this post's second snapshot, too. Sure, the yummiest traits of this Vita game's cover art are kind of compressed on its cartridge label, but I think it's still pretty snazzy even in its slightly altered state.

Sadly, Yomawari's otherwise beautiful packaging doesn't include an instruction manual. It does include the following slip of paper, the flip side of which is filled with text that appears to be of the "don't step on this cartridge with your smelly feet" and "try not to dunk this cartridge into a mug of steaming hot coffee" sort.

Oh, well. At least it features another gorgeous--and moody--illustration, right?

As for the back of Yomawari's case, well, it's far from the heights of the front cover, but it's also not a disaster. (Click on it to take a closer look at it, if you're into that sort of thing.)

Would you believe I've yet to even stick Yomawari's cart into my much-loved-but-often-ignored Vita? Yeah, you probably would--especially if you've been coming to this blog for any period of time.

I promise to do my best to rectify that situation in the next couple of weeks, though--despite the fact that I'm not really in the mood for a scary game at the moment. I'll also do my best to play some of the other Vita titles that have found their way into my arms in the last few months--some of which I'll chat about in my very next write-up.

See also: previous 'Nice Package!' posts

Nice Package! (City Connection, Famicom)

Until a few months ago, City Connection was nowhere to be found on the extensive gaming "wish list" that resides on my trusty laptop.

Although I have fond memories of playing some version or other of this odd Jaleco-made action game as a teen, it was a Famicom title I could do without.

Or so I thought. Just before the holidays, I fired up this 1985 release's ROM and had such a blast with it that I decided then and there to track down a complete-in-box (CIB) copy of it.



To be fair, I go through that very same process all the time in regard to other games, and the majority of them are still taking up space on my precious "buy ASAP" list.

What pushed me to pick up City Connection so quickly? There's no question its plucky Japanese box art (above) played a pretty vital role.



I don't know that I'd say the back of City Connection's box is as fabulous as its front, but that doesn't mean the latter is a big old turd.

For instance, I rather like how the reverse side of the package showcases a handful of semi-wonky screenshots like only a retro game can do.



The absolute best part of the CIB City Connection experience, though, is its cartridge. I mean, just look at the beautiful, banana-yellow plastic in the photo above.

Adding to the effect is the focused version of the game's logo and box art.



Now here (or, rather, above) is something you don't see every day--a label on the back of a Famicom cart that features more than a couple of lines of boring text.

Sadly, I'm clueless as to the point of this label. Does it simply reiterate or summarize the information shared on the backside of City Connection's box? Or does it share some kind of unique info with the player? Whatever the case may be, consider me a fan of the general execution.

Have any of you played any iteration of City Connection? If so, what are your thoughts on it?

There's no such thing as too much Zombie Daisuki

Chunsoft's Zombie Daisuki may not have been all I had hoped for given its pedigree, pixel-rific graphics and its focus on the undead, but that doesn't mean I consider it to have been a complete waste of my hard-earned cash.

In fact, despite my rather ho-hum reaction to this import-only DS game (read all about it in my latest #ADecadeofDS post), I'm still pretty darn glad I picked up a copy of it some time ago.

Of course, how could I not feel that way when Zombie Daisuki's packaging is so cute? Seriously, check it out in the photo below:

The little zombie illustrations that parade across the game's cover imagery is awfully adorable, too, as should be obvious from the following snapshot:

Comparably, this game's illustration manual is a wasted opportunity, if you ask me. A few of the zombies from the box art pop up here and there, but for the most part it's your basic DS manual--a lot of text, a good number of screenshots and a select few illustrations or other embellishments. 

If only more designers had skewed things more in favor of the latter elements like they did in the "good old days."

At least it's "story" page (above) shows a few signs of life. Not that I can understand a word of it, mind you--well, aside from "story" and "zombie," I mean--but who cares when the imagery behind it is so whimsical? 

Zombie Daisuki's cart label features the same art--albeit in a slightly altered form. I have to say, I really like how the game's curvy, bubbly logo looks smooshed between the helicopter in the upper-left corner and the farm buildings that sit below it.

Have any of you played this Japanese curiosity? If so, what are your thoughts on it? Or, what are your thoughts on its box art, cart label, manual and more?

See also: my #ADecadeofDS post about Zombie Daisuki

And the winner of The Gay Gamer Giveaway™: Snow Bros. Jr. Edition is ...

... Justin Difazzio.

Congrats, Justin, and condolences to those of you who hoped to win the copy of Snow Bros. Jr. but walked away empty-handed.

I know I said last week that this likely would be the last Gay Gamer Giveaway™ for a while, but I'm actually considering a couple more at the moment. So, keep an eye out for the posts that will be published about them in the near future--assuming you're interested in possibly winning a free game or two, of course.

Aside from that, thanks again to everyone who participated and shared their thoughts (in the comments section of this post) on their favorite single-screen platformers.

The Gay Gamer Giveaway™: Osawagase Penguin Boy (GameBoy) Edition

Are you tired of being given the chance to win free Japanese GameBoy cartridges? I hope not, because I'm offering up another one today.

This Gay Gamer Giveaway™ is for the cart showcased in the photo below, which contains an adorably fun little ditty known in Japan as Osawagase Penguin Boy. (Elsewhere it went by the name Amazing Penguin.)

If you've never played this Natsume-made joint, it basically combines elements of Kickle Cubicle, Pengo and Qix.

Should that mean nothing to you, just know that the mash-up results in an enjoyable time-waster that calls to mind the kind of classic "quarter muncher" gameplay (see: Dig Dug, Donkey Kong, Pac-Man and the like--not that Osawagase Penguin Boy resembles these particular titles in any way) that's rarely revisited these days, even in the retro-tinged releases that still seem to be all the rage.

Anyway, should you want to own a copy of this unique title, share the name of your favorite retro arcade game (there are no wrong responses) in the comments section below between now and the morning of Monday, July 7--which is when I'll randomly point to one of those comments and send the person who published it the rather ragged-looking cart (sorry about that, it came that way) seen above.

See also: previous Gay Gamer Giveaway™ posts

The Gay Gamer Giveaway™: Penguin Land (GameBoy) Edition

I don't know about you, but I think it's about time we kick off another Gay Gamer Giveaway™, don't you?

The giveaway this time around will be a loose (as in just the cart--no box, case or manual) copy of Pony Canyon's GameBoy port of Sega's Doki Doki Penguin Land, which drops the Doki Doki in favor of simply being known as Penguin Land.

I've written about this game a few times before now, by the way. I first mentioned--and showcased a video of--it in this post, and then I spent some time chatting about its packaging in this post and its instruction manual in this post.

So, you may want to check out one or all of those previously published posts before you decide whether or not you want this cart.

Should you decide that you do want it, just leave some sort of a comment below between today and the morning of Monday, June 23. Even a simple "yo!" is OK if your username is unique enough that I should be able to tell you apart from all of the other people clamoring for their very own copy of Penguin Land.

See also: previous Gay Gamer Giveaway™ posts

The Gay Gamer Giveaway™: Painter Momopie (GameBoy) Edition

So, I'm going to do something a little silly over the next few weeks--I'm going to publish a handful of posts (like this one) that will result in one of you fine folks walking away with a free Japanese GameBoy cartridge.

Sadly, none of these copies are "complete"--you're only going to get the cart, not the box, the manual or even the plastic case--and all of them are a bit beaten up, but on the other end of the spectrum, they work and they're free, so who really cares, right?

The only rule for this particular giveaway: leave some sort of comment below that indicates you'd like to throw your hat into the ring for the copy of Sigma's Painter Momopie, a cute Pac-Man clone that never saw the light of day outside of Japan, seen above and below. (And if you're commenting anonymously, please share some sort of username so I can properly and easily identify you if you're victorious.)

I'll ship to wherever the winner may reside and I honestly don't care what the winner dos (keep, sell, turn into a piece of nerdtastic jewelry) with the cartridge he or she receives--although of course I'd love it if some or all of them actually get played by recipients.

The winner of this particular Gay Gamer Giveaway™ will be determined first thing in the morning on Monday, June 19. Shortly afterward, I'll publish a post that reveals the winner, and then I'll follow that with yet another post about the next giveaway--assuming there's any interest whatsoever in this first one.

Finally, should you want to read up on Painter Momopie before deciding whether you even want the cart shown above, check out this introductory post, this "Great Gaymathon" review or this "Manual Stimulation" installment that's devoted to this adorable title.

Just to make this blog even more (temporarily) Animal Crossing-centric ...

Hey, at least this post isn't related to Animal Crossing: New Leaf, right?

As for what you're seeing in the photos below: it's my recently acquired copy of the game that started it all, Dōbutsu no Mori (which basically translates to Animal Forest).

As I'm sure most of you are already aware, Dōbutsu no Mori was released for the Japanese Nintendo 64 all the way back in early 2001. Sadly, that was right before the GameCube hit the market, so Nintendo never released it elsewhere.

I've wanted to own a copy of it for ages, but various things kept me from snagging one until a few weeks ago, which when I spotted the rather beautiful specimen seen in the snapshots below.

The photo above shows off the front cover of Dōbutsu no Mori's box, of course. I love how it looks like a shipped package, or maybe a postcard. Also, it features K.K. Slider, which always is a good thing.

This photo (above) showcases the back of Dōbutsu no Mori's box--which, admittedly, is quite a bit less thrilling than the front. Still, I thought some of you might like to see it.

Next up is the cover of the game's instruction manual, which features one of my favorite pieces of Animal Crossing-related imagery. For some dumb reason I didn't take any photos of the manual's interior. Oh, well, I guess that means I'll have to type up another "Manual Stimulation" post soon.

Acquisition #148: Mr. Driller (WonderSwan Color)

Will the copy of Mr. Driller seen in photo below be the last WonderSwan game I ever buy? I highly doubt it. I'm hoping, though, that it'll be the last one I buy until I (finally) pick up a SwanCrystal system.

As for why I bought it: I had three reasons, although none of them could be called good ones. First, it was cheap. Second, I thought it would be a nice on-the-go game to own. Third, I liked its box art--which, if you look closely, has a fabric-like texture to it that's pretty cool.



The cartridge label (below) is rather nice, too, although I obviously didn't know that until it landed on our doorstep.



Anyway, hopefully I'll be able to put it and all of my other recently-ish acquired WonderSwan titles through their paces sooner rather than later. In the meantime, maybe I'll devote an upcoming "Manual Stimulation" post to this game's instruction booklet (assuming it's actually worthy of such attention, of course).

See also: Previous 'Acquisition #123' posts

WonderSwan cartridges (and boxes) in context

While prepping my last two "Acquisition #123" (#132: Engacho! and #133: Tane wo Maku Tori) posts, I realized that some of you (many of you?) might like to see how WonderSwan game boxes and cartridges stack up to their counterparts in the portable world.

So, I took a few photos of a few of my recent WonderSwan pick-ups sitting next to 3DS, DS, GameBoy, GameBoy Advance, Game Gear and PSP carts and boxes.

The photos below, as I'm sure you can see, show that WonderSwan cartridges (the clear one on the left, below Wario Land II, and the black one beneath Balloon Kid) are closest in size to GameBoy Advance cartridges.

The photo above, on the other hand, shows how WonderSwan game boxes compare in size to DS and PSP cases. The box on the right, by the way, is for a WonderSwan Color game called Flash Koibitokun.

All "regular" WonderSwan games are in smaller/squatter boxes a la Engacho!, by the way, while all WonderSwan Color games are in the taller ones a la Flash Koibitokun.

Anyway, so now you know how WonderSwan boxes and carts compare to their 3DS, DS, GameBoy, GameBoy Advance, Game Gear and PSP counterparts.

Additional proof that I have awesome readers

A few months ago, I mentioned (OK, whined) in this post that I was sad that the copy of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that I pulled from my childhood closet while home for Christmas was "sans boîte," as the French might say. (Sans boîte = without box, basically.)

Enter The Gay Gamer reader "sharc," who wrote in the comments section of that post: "Pretty sure I have a box for Ocarnia of Time sitting around somewhere. Gotta double check first, but you'd be welcome to take it. Encouraged, even."

After sharc and I exchanged e-mails on the subject, I promptly and rather surprisingly forgot about it. Until a few days ago, that is, when the box in the photo below arrived on my doorstep.



Please note the superb condition of said box. The reason it's in such great condition is that sharc packaged and shipped it with so much care that my usually cold and cynical heart (OK, that's somewhat, but not entirely, overstating things) nearly melted.

As you can see, the box and cartridge are getting along famously--despite the fact that they met just minutes before the photo above was snapped. Anyway, thank you, sharc, for making this, er, peculiar love affair possible!

You've never looked more beautiful, Binary Land

If you ask me, it's a crying shame that one of Hudson Soft's earliest Famicom games, the rather romantic Binary Land, was never released outside of Japan.

That's because Binary Land is one of the cutest, not to mention one of the most unique, titles to hit the console that was called the Nintendo Entertainment System everywhere else in the world.

Sure, it's more than a bit archaic in terms of graphics--although the main characters, Gurin (the blue penguin in this video of Binary Land's first level) and Malon (the pink penguin), were crafted with a good bit of care and skill--but the boring-ish visuals never detract from the gameplay, which calls on players to lead Gurin and Malon through each maze-like stage until they meet at the caged heart in the middle. (This is more challenging than it sounds, as players control both players at the same time.)



Anyway, I'm guessing that even if Binary Land had been released in Australia, Europe or North (or South) America, its cartridge label likely wouldn't have been half as cute as the one seen in the photo above.

Said label was made by the proprietor (or proprietress) of "the laboratory" tumblog, by the way. If you like his/her style (and you should), you'll probably like these Famicom label mockups and these mockups of a make-believe series of games called Wander World, too.

(Via the comments section of this famicomblog post)

From the back of my boyhood closet, part five

The following photo shows off the fifth (as well as sixth, seventh and eighth, I guess) game-related treasures I pulled from the closet of my childhood bedroom over the holidays. For those of you who can't quite make out the names of the SNES games in said snapshot, the one at the front of the line is Secret of Mana, followed by Final Fantasy II, Super Tennis and Yoshi's Island.

Would you believe it if I told you these games are among my all-time favorites for Nintendo's 16-bit system? Well, it's true.

Secret of Mana, for instance, will forever have a spot in my heart thanks to its lush graphics, laid-back soundtrack--and gobs of loot. Super Tennis, on the other hand, earned a place within my left ventricle (or is it my right one?) by bringing tons of late-night enjoyment to me and my childhood BFF during our frequent sleepovers.

Anyway, as stoked as I was to dig these four titles out of my old closet, I was saddened that I didn't also find a few other SNES games I know I used to own, such as Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy III, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Mario Kart and Super Mario World.

Oh, well, there's always eBay, right? Speaking of which, I'm going to need to pay a visit to everyone's favorite auction site at some point in the near future in order to pick up either an SNES or a Super Famicom system, as I'm currently unable to play any of the above-mentioned games.

See also: Previous 'from the back of my boyhood closet' posts

Additional proof that Darwin Yamamoto is a pretty awesome dude

Remember how, in this post, I mentioned the photos that Darwin Yamamoto took of Tokyo's famous retro-games shop, Super Potato, during his recent trip to Japan?

Well, unbeknownst to me, Yamamoto used some of his hard-earned cash to buy me a game during one of his jaunts to the above-mentioned store.

Which one, you ask? Why, the first Dragon Quest game for the Famicom!

I've yet to free the cart from its tightly secured wrapping (I'm not sure why, but I want to leave it in this condition until I'm ready to play it), so please forgive the price tag and tape that can be seen in the following photos.

I've long desired a copy of this Enix-published RPG, by the way, and not just because I have fond memories of playing through the North American version with my brother as a kid. Another just-as-important reason for my Dragon Quest-focused lust: I absolutely adore the art that graces the cover of the Japanese release. (Here's a better look at said art, for those of you who are curious.)

Anyway, as you can see in the photos above, this particular cart is in pretty great shape. One thing I really like about it is that a previous owner made note of something on the cartridge's back label. I don't suppose any of you who know Japanese would be able to tell me what it says?

Oh, I almost forgot: Along with the copy of Dragon Quest, Yamamoto also sent me a rather slick pamphlet that details all of the wonderful games that are scheduled to be released (in Japan, of course) for the 3DS during the first three months of 2012.

I'm guessing all of the information contained within said booklet can be found elsewhere on the Internet, but I may scan it and post it here later this week or next anyway--just in case any of you are interested in it.

See also: 'Ain't nothin' like a stroll through Super Potato'

For the fourth game of Christmas, the UPS man brought to me ...

... a complete-in-box copy of Nintendo's Balloon Kid.

Educational aside: This GameBoy-based sequel-of-sorts to the Famicom/NES classic, Balloon Fight, was released throughout North America in 1990 and throughout Europe in 1991. For some unknown reason, it never received a proper, packaged release in Japan, although a colorized version of the game--called Balloon Fight GB--was released via the company's Nintendo Power service in 2000. 

For more information on Balloon Kid--which was produced, in part, by Gunpei Yokoi and Yoshio Sakamoto (Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka composed the game's perky soundtrack)--read these blog posts. 

See also: Previous '12 Games of Christmas' posts

For the third game of Christmas, the UPS man brought to me ...

... a boxed copy of Nintendo's Clu Clu Land.

Note that I didn't describe this as a "complete in box" copy of this Famicom/NES classic. That's because the plastic tray that's supposed to cradle the cartridge (and protect the box) wasn't included. Oh, well.

Regardless, I quite like Clu Clu Land's box art. To tell you the truth, that's the main reason I picked up the copy seen in the photos above and below, as I'm not much of a fan of the game at this point.

I'm also a bit of a sucker for banana-yellow Famicom carts, it seems, as not only do I salivate over the one that contains Clu Clu Land's code, but I also salivate over the ones produced for the Famicom version of Super Mario Bros. and the GameBoy Advance version of Kid Icarus.

Fore more photos of yellow (as well as red, orange, blue and white) Famicom carts, check out this Flickr set.

See also: Previous '12 Games of Christmas' posts

Behold: My complete-in-box copy of Ice Climber

I'm sure it seems silly that I used the word "behold" in the headline above. Honestly, I couldn't help but use it, as I really like the art that appears on the box and cart covers of my latest acquisition: A "complete" copy of the Famicom version of Ice Climber.

You know what else I really like? This game! I know that's kind of a shocking admission--after all, I've said in the past that it was frustrating to the point of annoyance--but I've truly had a change of heart when it comes to this classic platformer. Now if I could just make it past the fifth stage...

Oh, and in case you're wondering: Yes, it's impossible for me to take a straight-on photo of a game. I try to do so every once in a while, but the resulting shot either bores or otherwise displeases me.

Anyway, if you'd like to see a few more photos of this particular copy of Ice Climber, check out my Flickr photostream at your earliest convenience. Also, check out a few previous blog posts--such as this one and this one--for more of my thoughts (both good and bad) on this chilly title.

A few more pieces of Famicom porn

Remember how I said (in this post) that I recently acquired copies of Baseball and Golf for the Famicom? Well, at the same time I purchased those "Pulse Line" carts I also picked up a rather beat-up copy of Nintendo's Balloon Fight.

You know what that means: More photos of Famicom boxes and cartridges struttin' their stuff on our dining room table and living room floor!

For more photos of my Famicom collection, check out this Flickr set.