Tag: japan

I hope this luck doesn’t change!

The run of luck this old gamer has been having is pure craziness! I mean, games and systems I never see in the wild near me are suddenly showing up, and the only choice I have is to consume, and consume hard. ?

I think today I will save the best for last. The last item in this post is something I have wanted for ages, but they are so damn rare to come by – let alone in condition like this…. Still, I am talking too much about it already, so let’s get started on the other stuff.

3DO, a few DiskSystem disks, and a couple of PCE related goodies.

I am really looking forward to trying out ‘Pataank’ for the 3DO. I do not know a single thing about it, and judging by the graphics on the back cover it looks like seriously weird inside pinball machine game. I thought about doing a search for it, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise.
3do-pce-disk-system

Some more Famicom carts tarif du viagra en pharmacie. I should really sort through the carts I have at home before buying more, but when they’re there and they’re cheap, what can a guy do right?
famicom

Gameboy games… I honestly don’t have a heap of interest in Gameboy, but as I know there are a few guys on AussieArcade who are keen for them, I picked them up.
gameboy

Same as the Famicom, I really should be going through the games I have at home before buying more Super Famicom carts. Due to buying so much in such a short space of time, I am really having difficulty keeping track of what I am doubling up on. (click thumbnails to enlarge)
super-famicom-snes super-famicom

Unfortunately, it really is looking as if the Saturn gear isn’t being restocked anymore. I am pretty sure these were there the last time I went too, but as there was nothing else to grab I decided to just grab them anyway. It really has been an amazing run at that shop though.

Hope they do it again when I have visitors come over from home (bet Sean does too right?). ?
saturn

And finally, the pick of the haul by far is my NEC PC Engine Duo-R!!

I have never seen one of these in the wild. I do see them on the auctions, but to actually walk into a store and see a boxed one was pretty nice. I am sure the guys in Tokyo see these all the time, but where I am it just doesn’t happen.

Did I pay too much for it? Probably. Do I care though? Nope, not at all. I have wanted one of these ever since the PCE bug took hold (thanks to Frank), and I was damn happy driving home with it. ?
pc-engine-duo-r
It has a few scratches and scuffs on it, but all up it looks pretty clean. The guy in the place I bought it from said that it has all been tested, so I am looking forward to trying it out over the weekend. I can safely say this will be the machine I will be playing on, and probably the machine that will end up modded in the future (done any of these MJ?).
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So again, I seem to be having the run of luck to end all runs of luck. But how long can this last!? ?

It just doesn’t seem to end – when retro gaming in Japan

You guys must be getting sick of me making post after post about the gear that I am finding over here in Japan. If I was back home scrounging to find a few carts, or a few lonely disks in the wild, it would make me sick seeing some spoiled bastard flaunting these huge finds. All I can say to that is… I’m sorry… If I could change places, I probably… wouldn’t. 😀

Anyway, I truly believe that you guys should be the ones feeling sorry for me! As Spring is in the air, and people are cleaning out their houses, there is so much to buy at the moment that I don’t even get any time to sit back and relax to play any of the machines or games I have been getting. Life is hard!! 😀

So the latest. Not many carts or disks in this bunch, but I have made up for that with machines.

A Sharp Twin Fami, a Gakken Frogger, and some other Famicom related goodies. I did throw some batteries into the Frogger as I hadn’t played one before – it really is a good game to my surprise! I will be doing a write-up about it at some point I think.
famicom-sharp-nintendo-frogger-disk-system

Famicom Keyboard set, Famicom Tape Recorder, some Super Famicom gear, and a Sega mouse. I paid a fair bit for the recorder, but I don’t have buyer remorse just yet about it. It was something I have been after for a while, and they don’t come up all that often. The Nintendo RGB cable is definitely not on the common side – just wish my TV could support it…
famicom-keyboard-recorder-tape-sega-mouse-megadrive-genesis

Wireless kit for the Capcom Famicom/SuperFamicom fight stick. Had no idea there was such a thing in all honesty. The Hori trackball is for the Famicom, but I am yet to look into what games actually use it – feels great though.
capcom-pc-engine-gt

Well, another nice pile of plastic that I have to try and squeeze into my gameroom somehow. I would leave it out in the lounge, but out of sight is out of mind (for the wife that is). 😀

What I’ll do now is leave you guys with a few pics of individual items in thumbnail form (click to enlarge). And remember, I’m not spoiled, I am in the terrible position of having too much to buy, and no time to play. 😉

famicom-nes-tape-recorder genesis-mouse-megadrive

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Nintendo Block Kuzushi – 70s style, but only for Japan

First off, I must apologise for the lack of content recently. I have been insanely busy, and losing a chunk of my roof didn’t help me free up any time, but I am now back with the amazing Block Kuzushi! 🙂

Nintendo were pumping out some great machines back in the late 70s with the ‘TV Game’ series, and although the ‘Block Kuzushi’ was quite different when compared with it’s ‘TV Game’ brothers, it must have been something special as it was the first console that Nintendo decided to put their logo on.

nintendo-block-kuzushi-breakout

Released in 1979, Nintendo was trying to break-in to the break-out market (gamers will know what that means), and with design influence from Shigeru Miyamoto this 70s beast was a looker.

It is a single player machine with a range of game modes, but all the game modes pretty much equate to the same thing – break-out. Luckily with instructional graphics included on the control panel, it does have very user-friendly interface for people with no Japanese ability (as shown bellow).

nintendo-block-kuzushi-breakout-12

Nintendo is (and always has been) a forerunner when it comes to compatibility of adapters and peripherals with their range of machines. All the ‘TV Game series’ and the Block Kuzushi use the same adapter and RF switch. Sega didn’t do that Frank! 😉

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In play the Nintendo Block Kuzushi stands up very well with other break-out clones of the period, and honestly is still a great game even today.

It has a very solid wheel that 33 years on feels tough and responsive, and much like the other consoles released from Nintendo in the 70s (maybe with the exception of ‘Racing 112’) once I get it out I can’t help but sit down and play.

I actually delayed my schedule by almost an hour this morning by deciding to blog about this machine! 😀

If I was to complain about it at all I would probably say that the switches are a little bit on the twitchy side. I find I have to move switches a few times for them to register properly, but other than that I have no complaints, specially when you consider the age of the machine.

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The 70s styling of the Nintendo Block Kuzushi makes it one of the best looking consoles around (in my opinion anyway). Everything from the art work in the manual, to the buttons and dials scream flared pants and plastic furniture! Just wish I had an orange TV to go with it.

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Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the 70s!

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The Nintendo Block Kuzushi commands a fair price these days (from $60 – $200), but it’s well worth the money for any serious game collector. 🙂

Super Mario Land – Board Game?

Not often I get the time to dig until blood oozes from my fingernails in this particular junk shop, but seeing as time was on my side I decided to wear my hands down to nubs digging through the abundance of useless crap that junk shops seem to accumulate. And what did I find? Well, this:

Can’t say I have ever seen this before, nor have can I find anything on the web about it, but using my powerful observational skills, it seems to be a board game based on the Gameboy game ‘Super Mario Land’. I could think of better video games to base a board game on – who am I to question Nintendo and/or Bandai though.

This board game was released in 1989 by Bandai, which I believe is the exact same year for the release of ‘Super Mario Land’ for the Gameboy – correct me if I’m wrong there.

Nintendo baord game 1989

Always good to find something Mario released pre-90s.

The only thing left to do now is actually play the thing – don’t think that will be happening any time soon though – way too many other things that actually make sound and induce seizures to worry about playing a board game! 😀

Epoch ElectroTennis – Japan’s first console.

It’s not often you find the bargain to end all bargains – unless you live in Japan that is. Welcome to the Epoch Electrotennis.

The Epoch Electrotennis is Japan’s first console. Now just to be clear, there were other gaming consoles in Japan before the release of this machine (in 1975), but this console is the first to be released by a Japanese company on home soil, and if you’re going to release a pong clone, why not make it the strangest you can….

Some details:

  • Released in 1975
  • Truly wireless – does not need to be physically connected to the TV, or connected to power.  The Electrotennis broadcasts it’s own analogue signal over the airwaves!
  • Game modes – Single (AI in the 70s was um… interesting), and Two-player
  • Power – batteries
  • Unlike most pong clones of the time, this one allows the player to move the bat in and out as well as up and down – revolutionary!
  • Price then – 19500yen
  • Price now – has been known to sell between $1,000 to $1,500

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In practice the most striking point (at least for me) about this machine is the fact that it broadcasts it’s own signal. The signal that it puts out is amazingly strong too! The pictures bellow show the system on and working, and I did not have an antenna plugged into the TV to get the picture you see there – I am pretty sure the neighbours could see me playing if they were on the right channel!

epoch-electrotennis-4

All up it’s a very interesting machine, and well worth playing. Is it worth it’s current selling price? Well if you’re buying it for gameplay then I would say no, but if you’re buying it for the history then who am I to argue. Would I pay $1,500 for one? Nope, but I wouldn’t knock someone that would.

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