Super Famicom Thread

[Wayler]

It occurred to me that we are missing a dedicated thread for the Super Famicom. Do you own a Super Famicom and why? Know any exclusive and/or weird games we should know about? Purchasing tips? Memories about playing Japanese games? Please discuss everything related to the Japanese "SNES" here.

 

*****

 

I'll start things of by highlighting a game that has been on my mind for a while:

Dezaemon aka DIY Shoot 'em Up

 

Dezaemon has been released to several consoles but only in Japan. The premise is quite simple: you are provided with a graphical interface to create your own top down shooter. The SNES-version has a fully fledged game preinstalled called Daioh's Gale which is pretty decent in itself but the meat of the thing is the editor where you can do your own graphics, effects and music. The editor is almost text-less, so it's very import friendly, if you know what you are doing. I got my copy about a year ago but haven't really tinkered with it to know anything. And I really don't have the patience to learn the thing. But I reckon the editor is pretty robust as the manual is almost 100 pages long.

 

So why has this game been on my mind? Well it's the DIY part. Suppose there was a person who was extremely capable of producing a fantastic game with this editor. And they did back in the day. Then they forgot about the cart and decided to sell it away some day. Then many years pass and you randomly stumble upon said cart. You now own a fully original shoot 'em up that no one else has! As fas as I can tell, you cannot swap creations between carts, so every used cart has a change to contain something wonderful. My first copy of the game sadly was not one of these cases. Someone clearly did some tinkering with the editor and slapped a ripple effect on the level but that's about it. My newest Japan box that I'm still waiting on also has a Dezaemon cart in it. Maybe this time I will strike gold. 

[Tanooki]

Well hopping into the time machine we go back to 1995-7 and originally to the earlier date locally, then when ebay just got off the ground out west in the other I started digging in that period into Japanese stuff we got teased about and never got.  The first things I ran do were the most accessible...Gameboy and Super Famicom, followed in 97-98 by the Duo/PCE CDs since not region locked and this is the physical, ROMs, some here know my background and well I've had access for years.

 

Super Famicom was by far the one I cared most about, outside of SDF Macross costing me about 70 shipped which I never paid that high on a game really before or since until the greedy era of 2012-present, I ended up owning a few dozen SFC games, all complete, because they were ridiculously cheap and fun.  They were lost to me in 05, not going there, don't like thinking about that, but fast forward to waffling and being annoyed because now loose is what complete was I put off buying into it again until the last 4-5 years.  I've currently got 35 SFC games, none complete, and I've had a select few more that didn't hit me well to keep very few.  Not many of what I once had i don't have now, a few but the prices are utterly evil on things like Spriggan Powered, IRIA, and another couple of them but otherwise I largely recovered things that aged well to me.

 

That said Iv'e never officially owned a Super Famicom, it just wasn't what i considered worth the space or approachable, always DID want the rainbow button controller, never did that either outside of the regionally released ASCII Pad and I have a couple of those now.  What I did do is use a nice ladies automatic file and smoothed/polished out the 2 tabs and used my US system.  Later down the line when I didn't have the carts it didn't matter, but by the time I did again I've got the Analogue SuperNt and a Supaboy S(now Black Gold) unit which runs it all natively so kind of?  I mean I could run it now I came across a NOS adapter so I wouldn't have to chop, but it just hasn't come up but I could with my DK Super Set put away in its box.

 

I've always appreciated the games, right in line with the Japanese Famicom games we got hosed out of, more then because of stricter censoring, asinine 5 game/yr policies, etc.  I mean even in the day (90s) I went as far as translating with a co-worker at the time who was half japanese to help me the Hokuto no Ken 6 (Fist of the Northstar 6) manual (I still have the text.)  The variety is fantastic, and they had some real gems we missed.  Even in that day I was ground level with emulation, roms, gray if that area stuff, and ended up on the test/help team with the first translation of Final Fantasy V which was a gem of a time period and game.  I just even acquired a modern day high (it is for what it is) quality pcb/label on an original shell english copy of Secret of Mana 2(Seiken Densetsu 3) which I never got around to in over 25 years which sucks.  Maybe I'll be motivated now?

[Austin]

(Not an exclusive, but has enough aesthetic differences to be of note to fans)

 

I don't play a ton of Super Fami-specific games. A lot of the best games from over there released Stateside. That said, there are a few I've come back to over the years, the most noteworthy being.. uh, pinball games of all things, specifically Super Pinball II and Jaki Crush.

 

Re: Dezaemon - The Saturn iteration is crazy because you could share your games with others. There ended up being what is effectively a busy homebrew scene just for that game that I'm just now becoming privy to thanks to a modern remake of one of its game creations from back then (Devil Blade Reboot).

[Wayler]

2 hours ago, Tanooki said:

That said Iv'e never officially owned a Super Famicom, it just wasn't what i considered worth the space or approachable, always DID want the rainbow button controller

Me neither. But we got the same superior design in the PAL region along with the rainbow controllers, so there wasn't really a point on getting one. I did grab a few dirt cheap SFC controllers last time around but wasn't aware how short the cords are on those.

 

As for games, it was different with NES because you could always get some asian flair with the myriad of bootleg 100in1 carts. But there was none of that with the SNES. So before the Internet, the world of SFC was completely alien to me as the import scene here was strickly US only. I wish I'd realized that part of the genre in my collection phase around 2006. Now it's a painstaking job to find any good deals. 

[Tanooki]

@Wayler Yeah that's the other issue.  I never really locally saw some controller extensions I could grab in town back in the 90s so I just avoided those as Japan has those largely small homes and most TVs for the FC era were scoped out to average around 13-15" and the SFC era was like 17-19" so you sat fairly close which I don't, still don't.  My retired one car garage room has the chair on one side (narrow not long) and TV on the other and even that won't reach.  I've got the same problem with my AV Famicom but with the 9" TV I don't really care much since I just sit in front of it or so close by on a chair it's like whatever, the exception, and also the same cord plague on the Famicom Mini(legit) I found in town a few months ago as those aren't even 2" which is a curse.

 

You're pretty right about the asian flair, at least with the stand alone games, the hacks.  Getting a fresh game was unheart of until the horrors of quality that Hong Kong 97 gave us.  The part you're off on, the multicarts, man those did exist even in the 90s.  They cheaped the F out, never put batteries in them despite commonly including the likes of Super Mario World and F-Zero, more a problem really obviously with mario.  I've had a few of them over the years, may try and grab a few more out of my friend here shortly (working up a game bundle again.)  They're not 100in1s because even the small games aren't that small exactly on SFC vs FC, so usually you'd end up with these like 3 to 7-in-1 style things, all with the same boring blue background color and plain white text menu.  I wish I had the two I used to way back, had some decent stuff like the two mentioned, Indiana Jones and various others.  Amusingly though I did get a pair a year or two back and one has the game list of the Mario/F-Zero/Goof Troop one thankfully (Congo too) along with Choplifter 3, Top Gear, World Cup Soccer 94(meh), and Tom & Jerry.  The other is smaller with 6, Aladdin, Superstar Soccer, Super Bombliss, PUzzle Bobble, Super Bomberman and Pac-Man.  Strangely this one is a bit unique among others, it has a green shaded in horizontal bars background hot pink 6-in-1, push start or b to PALY game (yes it says that) also softer pink, and white text/numbers for the games.

 

I quickly took an image just because it would do best to show not just tell.  I really miss the one with Indy, but I've always had the real cart so I'll survive.

 

[Wayler]

10 hours ago, Austin said:

(Not an exclusive, but has enough aesthetic differences to be of note to fans)

I have that too. We got the superior box art but they got the uncensored game, so that is why I decided to get both.

 

I'm also a sucker for pretty pictures, so I got this Japanese Guidebook for the game just because it might contain some cool art. Luckily it had the complete bestiary in it. 

 

Got some more books coming up in my recent purchases. 

[Wayler]

13 hours ago, Austin said:

Re: Dezaemon - The Saturn iteration is crazy because you could share your games with others. There ended up being what is effectively a busy homebrew scene just for that game that I'm just now becoming privy to thanks to a modern remake of one of its game creations from back then (Devil Blade Reboot).

Sounds fun. Would have been great if the SFC had that sharing too but I guess the technology just wasn't there yet. Just found out that Dezaemon got a satellite broadcast also. A short little stint it seems. Looks goofy but shows the versatility of the engine:

 

 

I hear also that it's a pain in the butthole to produce music for homebrew SNES games because of the wonky & difficult design, or somesuch. But if the music editor in Dezaemon can produce sounds like this, couldn't it be possible to utilize it to other games?

 

[Dire 51]

I remember first playing SFC games in mid-1993, when a (semi) local game store started renting them out with the option to buy. I ended up with a copy of Ganbare Goemon, a friend bought Assault Suits Valken.

 

After that place went out of business, I don't think I saw another SFC game in person until about 2003.

[Wayler]

About the Japanese guidebooks. I confess to not knowing anything about the language, so my enjoyment for these is purely visual, like a preschooler pretending to read but only looking at the pictures. I try to get them for the games I truly love only but this time I made an exception:

I was browsing through a guidebook category when this weird religious imagery popped up and it said Super Famicom. After a little investigation, the book turned out to be Shin Megami Tensei II Demon Encyclopedia. Over a hundred pages filled with wonderful depictions of every creature found in the game. Never have I played it but this book makes me want to, I hope it's translated. 

 

 

I did find one thing odd though. Something is clearly bothering Cthulu and he's being a total dick about. NSFW, probably. 

Spoiler

 

Or maybe he's just been hanging around this guy a little too much. NSFW, most definitely. 

Spoiler

 

I can understand why this one stayed in Japan. 

[Tanooki]

I've got something similar here I picked up fairly cheap, Dragon Quest Monster Story (and art) Book.  I can't seem to get the specific title, close with that, so google is being dopey just tying back to ebay.  The full thing is loaded with Toryiama sketched and with color added they stories and stuff about the featured monsters.  I just liked the look and figuerd maybe one time i'd try and learn enough again to tranlate it.

[Wayler]

On 7/6/2024 at 5:58 PM, Wayler said:

My newest Japan box that I'm still waiting on also has a Dezaemon cart in it. Maybe this time I will strike gold. 

So having now tested that cart, I'm happy to report it wasn't a total bust. 

 

The previous owner has left me "The Sho" (according to picture translation). 

Not a whole lot has been changed, the basic enemies and weapons are the same but the ship, levels and bosses are new. There's also a few ditties composed in the music department.

 

Not the golden nugget I was hoping for but better than nothing

Edited July 20 by Wayler

[Austin]

That’s actually an interesting idea. You could start a project tracking down as many Dezaemon carts as possible, then dumping and archiving the ones with custom games still on them.

[Wayler]

As I've mentioned (maybe) in the art thread, SFC has a superior box because there didn't seem to be limitations regarding the size and orientation of the art. But I feel that it's also superior on the inside. 

 

We got a cardboard tray on the inside, which is perfectly fine if designed correctly. But 9 out 10 times the inside walls will cave in which lets the cartridge rattle inside more freely. 

Also, all the manuals and pamphlets just sit on the bottom of the box. This means every time you take them out and use them, you risk crushing or folding something when putting it all back. 

 

After some time they changed the design of the inner tray but I feel this is way more flimsy, ugly and impractical. Also looks like an unfinished product.

 

 

But the SFC box is just great. The inner tray is clear plastic, so it won't change shape and keeps the cart snuggly in place. But best of all, the manual sits on top of the cart in an indent made specifically for it. So there's little risk squishing anything.

I suppose if looking for something negative, the inner tray is susceptible to discoloring. Don't know if it's the plastic itself or a reaction to the cartridges that can turn yellowish over time. 

 

Also the manuals are a bit smaller in size and every time you open the box, they are "in the way" of your gaming desires. 

 

Although why wouldn't you always want to caress the glistening paper with your fingertips, sensing the ink as it titillates your eyes with sensual illustrations of........errm, yes. 

[Trinity]

Pretty cool.

[Trinity]

Shit, Should have put that in the other thread.

[Wayler]

Super Soukoban

As the intro clearly tells us, this is a game where you move wooden boxes in a warehouse. Well I guess I left out the part where you offer the girl a ride in your crappy beetle but she chooses to go in a sport car instead, leaving you in the dust and dreaming about a similar testament to your manhood.

Don't know what it is about puzzle games and sexual undertones. First there was the totally unrelated boobs in Brainies and now this. Oh well, I guess it's time to roll the sleeves and do triple-overtime in a badly managed warehouse of boxes.  

 

The premise of this puzzle game is pretty simple, there's an x amount of boxes per puzzle and they all have to be moved on a place with a red dot. You can only push the boxes up, down, left & right. So if you move a box in a corner, that is where it will stay. Resetting a level is only a button press away though. Once the boxes are in the right spots, the level is clear and you can move on to the next one. And there are a whopping 300 levels to choose from, ranging from quite easy to Einstein.

 

The good:

-The controls are super simple, you only need the D-pad for movement and a few buttons for the menus

-Very import friendly as there is only minimal text. Quite cheap too. An English patch is available, if going for the emulation route

-Some of the levels seem simple but are deceptively tricky. There are a lot of nice "aha, I got it"-moments

-Every puzzle is available at the start and you can complete them in any order. If you get stuck in one, just choose another.

-No time limit so you can figure out a level at your own pace. There is a step limit however, so you must learn to optimize your movement in later levels, which can create nicely tense moments

-There is also a simple level editor to create your own devilish machinations

An interesting small scale puzzle.

 

The bad:

-Music is quite forgettable and the graphics are very basic

-Some of the bigger levels can become a chore as there are so many boxes to push. It can take a lot of time to move everything in place and the sense of achievement gets replaced by monotony.

-The bigger levels also seem daunting with step limits pushing to the thousands and dozens of boxes to manipulate. I wish they had stuck to the small scale ones.

-There is a password system but it doesn't seem to work. I took a picture after one of my sessions but nothing happened when I inputted the password next time. Don't know what the problem is there.

This puzzle seems like busywork. Guess I was not meant for physical labor.

 

 

An example of how the game runs in practice (with english patch):

 

 

Anyone know other notable SFC-only puzzle games?

[Dire 51]

3 hours ago, Wayler said:

Anyone know other notable SFC-only puzzle games?

How about Araiguma Rascal?

 

 

[Wayler]

8 hours ago, Dire 51 said:

How about Araiguma Rascal?

I have this one as well. It looked like a nice match-3 puzzle game with a cute theme but actually playing it was very meh.

 

The 1 player mode was a complete dud for me as it is quite cumbersome to move the fruitboxes around one at a time. And there's very little payoff. The competitive 2P options could have been the game saver but I had already given up by this point. Shame as the aesthetics are very nice. 

[Bloodreign]

14 hours ago, Wayler said:

Super Soukoban

As the intro clearly tells us, this is a game where you move wooden boxes in a warehouse. Well I guess I left out the part where you offer the girl a ride in your crappy beetle but she chooses to go in a sport car instead, leaving you in the dust and dreaming about a similar testament to your manhood.

Don't know what it is about puzzle games and sexual undertones. First there was the totally unrelated boobs in Brainies and now this. Oh well, I guess it's time to roll the sleeves and do triple-overtime in a badly managed warehouse of boxes.  

 

The premise of this puzzle game is pretty simple, there's an x amount of boxes per puzzle and they all have to be moved on a place with a red dot. You can only push the boxes up, down, left & right. So if you move a box in a corner, that is where it will stay. Resetting a level is only a button press away though. Once the boxes are in the right spots, the level is clear and you can move on to the next one. And there are a whopping 300 levels to choose from, ranging from quite easy to Einstein.

 

The good:

-The controls are super simple, you only need the D-pad for movement and a few buttons for the menus

-Very import friendly as there is only minimal text. Quite cheap too. An English patch is available, if going for the emulation route

-Some of the levels seem simple but are deceptively tricky. There are a lot of nice "aha, I got it"-moments

-Every puzzle is available at the start and you can complete them in any order. If you get stuck in one, just choose another.

-No time limit so you can figure out a level at your own pace. There is a step limit however, so you must learn to optimize your movement in later levels, which can create nicely tense moments

-There is also a simple level editor to create your own devilish machinations

An interesting small scale puzzle.

 

The bad:

-Music is quite forgettable and the graphics are very basic

-Some of the bigger levels can become a chore as there are so many boxes to push. It can take a lot of time to move everything in place and the sense of achievement gets replaced by monotony.

-The bigger levels also seem daunting with step limits pushing to the thousands and dozens of boxes to manipulate. I wish they had stuck to the small scale ones.

-There is a password system but it doesn't seem to work. I took a picture after one of my sessions but nothing happened when I inputted the password next time. Don't know what the problem is there.

This puzzle seems like busywork. Guess I was not meant for physical labor.

 

 

An example of how the game runs in practice (with english patch):

 

 

Anyone know other notable SFC-only puzzle games?

There's Tsuyoshi Shikkari Shinasai Puzzle Dama, one of Konami's series of puzzlers normally seen in arcades. Fun puzzler, and not nearly as difficult as the other Puzzle Dama and Tokkae Dama games Konami put out. Plays a lot like Puyo Puyo as a matter of fact.

 

https://youtu.be/Ix3Hxu90Sus?si=IV5QJSne-EdCS-Kb

 

Oh also cannot forget Magical Drop 1 and 2, 1 is alright, but has no quota system, so rounds can last awhile. MD 2 on the other hand moves fast, and matches don't take an eternity to complete.

Edited August 26 by Bloodreign

[Tanooki]

I actually have Magical Drop 1 and 2, got it in a lot within the last year and they're quite solid, impressive really.  Also in that lot was Shanghai III from Sunsoft, basically bastardized american mahjong tile matching fun, with some unique twists, a little depth too where there is actual progression with risk/reward not just keep failing and trying again until you're bored stuff.

[Wayler]

13 hours ago, Bloodreign said:

There's Tsuyoshi Shikkari Shinasai Puzzle Dama, one of Konami's series of puzzlers normally seen in arcades. Fun puzzler, and not nearly as difficult as the other Puzzle Dama and Tokkae Dama games Konami put out. Plays a lot like Puyo Puyo as a matter of fact.

 

https://youtu.be/Ix3Hxu90Sus?si=IV5QJSne-EdCS-Kb

Seems fun, hectic and colorful. I swear that first level music is like an unused track from Turtles in Time. Same sound and feel. And Both games by Konami too. 

[+Biff Burgertime]

On 8/25/2024 at 1:34 PM, Wayler said:

Super Soukoban

Sokubuns 😉

[Tanooki]

Maybe it's the SFC or resolution, but that seems more like Sokuflatbread.

[Wayler]

Ok ok, can I assk that we leave this thing behind us and focus on the bottom line... 😉

 

****

 

Video Game Den has proven to be a valuable source of information for me regarding japanese games. Sure, there are only around 200 games covered but it gives a nice cross-section of the library and the information is nicely displayed. Also has section for Famicom and PC Engine. Highly recommended. 

[Tanooki]

Oh yeah I'm pretty picky about retained bookmarks, that is one site I've saved to get up some solid info on the FC/FDS most lately but also SFC/SNES and PCE too when that mattered to me.