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music
Chiptune's 8-Bit Profit
Ah, yes, 8-bit chiptune. It's music that is performed and composed by using retro game hardware like the Famicom and the Gameboy as instruments. Love it, great stuff. More » -
art
Browse The Entire Catalogue Of Arty NES Carts
We are, unreservedly, big fans of hipster Japanese game store Meteor and its Famicase art exhibition. So please, join us as we peruse the entire history of the show. More » -
art
You Cannot Play The George W. Bush Famicom Game
Hipster retro shop Meteor is once again holding its "My Famicase" exhibit. Like last year, the show features Nintendo Famicom cartridges for games that never were created by artists and designers. More » -
maximum risky
This Girl Is Wearing A Famicom Bikini She Crafted Herself
Retro gaming maniac, pin-up model and underground photo Amano Ai (aka Julie Watai) is putting out a new DVD called Plastic Candy. In it, she dons a DIY Famicom bikini made moments before the shoot. More » -
nes
How To Play Famicom Games On A Famicom Cartridge
Step 1: buy a business card holder that looks just like a Famicom cartridge. Step 2: crack that card holder open. Step 3: put the guts of a cheap, emulator-capable media player inside. More » -
famicom
The Crappy $10,000 Famicom Game
A Famicom cartridge of Kinnikuman Muscle Tag Match: Championship Commemorative Gold Edition has sold for US$10,023 in an online auction. More » -
politics
Barack Obama Doll Relaxes With Miniature Famicom
Okay, the gaming connection? Slim at best and pretty much stops at the title. But hey, yesterday was the inauguration. If you're cool with all that, read on. More » -
retro
Sigh, Someone Chickens Out Of Spending US$7,000 On Famicom "Complete" Set
Oh, the drama! First a "complete set" of Famicom cartridges went on sale, then someone was going to buy then. But that was then, this is now. More » -
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japan
Yes, Someone Has Purchased $7,000 Worth Of Famicom Cartridges
Remember that "complete set" of retro Famicom cartridges that we posted earlier today? Sure you do! More » -
akihabara
One Thousand Plus Famicom Cartridges For You To Buy
Open your wallets, retro gaming collectors! Has Akihabara retailer Mandarake have a deal for you — a "complete" set of Famicom cartridges. And yes, this comes at a cost. More » -
retro
This Konami Famicom Game Is Crazy Expensive, Rare
Some retro games you buy to play, others you buy to play a couple times and then put them behind a glass case. More » -
maximum risky
Ready To Get Up Close With Famicom Lady? How About Dreamcost Woman?
A game that lets players love game consoles. Pico Pico, a naughty title from erotic game maker AGE SOFT's sub-brand Phi-age, features controller controlled characters cosplaying as game consoles. As website Hobby Blog points out, there have been loads of amateur drawings of humanized video game consoles, but Pico Pico appears to be the first professional made adult title for the PC to run with this motif. Pico Pico features characters like Famicom-esque Miko, "PLAYSTALLION7" Nana and DS-style Pipi. There's even a "Dreamcost" character! Game's out August 29th in Japan. Screenshots below. More » -
nintendo
See A Famicom Gutted For Your Amusement
The Nintendo Famicom, picture above in happier times, was sadly gutted by Benj Edwards for PC World, giving us a disturbing, yet educational look at the NES precursor. Even as we look at the grisly insides of the Famicom, its game cartridges, controllers and Japan-only disk system, we learn quite a few things. For instance, I didn't know the Famicom had microphones built into the controllers and that one could shout into them, killing enemies in the Japanese version of The Legend of Zelda. More » -
give me back my son!
Fake Ransom Demanded Over "Nintendo Computer"
In China, a guy known only by his surname "Yang" faked his abduction because his skinflint parents wouldn't buy him "a Nintendo computer," according to the China Daily. The scheme crowbarred about 10,000 yuan ($1,400 U.S.) off the 'rents, but the kid and his two captors were snagged trying to get the dough out of an ATM. More » -
famicom
Famicom Carts, Not Games, As Art
Games are art, games aren't art, yo mama so fat, yada yada yada, blah blah blah. Enough of that tired old, stuck-in-a-loop argument! It's time to move on and focus on game carts as art. These are from the recent Famicase exhibition in Japan, where artists were tasked with coming up with their own imaginary games, then designing the imaginary cart for their imaginary game. Some highlights are below, while you can see the entire collection here. More » -
gallery
Odd Famicom Controllers, So Friggin' Great
Nintendo's Famicom, that was a great console. A great console with some crazy peripherals! While our presence was graced with the badass of the Power Glove reached foreign shores, some of the truly nutty ones (like the Coconuts Japan pachinko controller or the JoyBall thing) never did. Just think if we had a shot at the one-handed Ascii Stick controller, developed especially for RPGs, or any of the Hori-produced Famicon controllers! Click the gallery below and imagine. More » -
famicom
The Unlicensed Harry Potter Shoot 'Em Up
Pirates have brought gaming some good things. Make that, some interesting things. Take this unlicensed Famicom Harry Potter... shmup? Yep! Young Harry rides about on his broom, shooting floating dog heads and bats. According to game site Siliconera: More » -
retro
Coin-Op NES
Want to play? Get out those coins. Here's a coin-operated Famicom that was hooked up to standard TVs in Japanese hotels and inns. One hundred yen coin got players 10~15 minutes of playtime. There's a Zapper and everything! Hit the jump for the pricier Super Famicom, which only doled out 5 minutes of playtime for a hundred yen. Well, it was "Super." Super expensive! More » -
clips
Let's Compare Dragon Quest IV Ads
Dragon Quest IV hasn't been remade once, but twice. The NES game's first remake was for the PlayStation back in 2001, and it's latest is for the Nintendo DS. (It also spanned a bunch spin-offs, but that's neither here nor there!) So, instead of comparing the game's graphics, we're comparing the games' Japanese tv ads. Which one is the best? Like most things, the original. More » -
japan
Nintendo Forever Abandons Famicom
SEGA isn't the only company disowning vintage consoles. Starting October this Halloween, Nintendo Co., Ltd. will no longer provide hardware support for the Famicom. The console was originally launched in Japan back in 1983, and Nintendo continued to service the machine all these years. With the rise of the Virtual Console and original Famicom parts becoming harder and harder to locate, Nintendo had decided cease repairs. What's more, Nintendo Co., Ltd. will no longer repair the Super Famicom, the Nintendo 64, the Gameboy and the Gameboy Pocket. Virtual Console or not, this strikes me as sad. More » -
hard proof
Japanese Kids Like NES Better Than PSP
Yup, it's that time again. Time for some fascinating data. This particular data concerns the gaming habit of Japanese children. This past summer, 1,165 elementary school kids (60 percent girls) were polled in a public questionnaire on the Kids goo website. What did we learn? Certainly the DS dominates. Duh. But there actually were a few surprises. Those, after the jump! More » -
mecha retro
Famicom Gundam
Look closer. That isn't just some Gundam statue. It's a Nintendo Famicom colored Gundam statue. Folks who purchase Mobile Suit Gundam: MS Sensen 0079 for the Wii will have a shot in hell to get one of these by registering the Club Nintendo serial number enclosed with the software. There are only a thousand of them so don't get your hopes up. Application period runs from July 26 to August 31st.Gundam nerds only!Japan only! More » -
amen
Before Square, Enix Had Jesus
Jesus! Dreadful! Bio-Monster! Years back, developer Enix (of current Square Enix fame) released a Famicom text-based survival horror game called "Jesus: Kyoufu no Bio Monster." The game is set in 2061 when Halley's Comet has changed direction and starts heading right for earth! The nations of the world, who banded together to create the space station "Jesus," must figure out how to stop the comet. Players are the Japanese rep. and military cadet Hayao Musou. While our usually rule of thumb is that no way a game with that kooky title can be any good, Jesus: Dreadful Bio-monster is apparently fairly decent. The game's music was even composed by Koichi Sugiyama, who's behind the instantly recognizable Dragon Quest theme. Jesus: Kyoufu no Bio-Monster never saw an English translation. How sad! More » -
clips
Famicom Guitar Looks Good, Sounds Meh
Ashcraft posted about Japan's Amazing DIY Famicom Guitar back in February, but we've just caught wind of someone actually playing the thing. How's the wind? Not that great apparently, but maybe it's just this unimpressive rendition of the Super Mario Bros. theme stinking up the place. Or maybe Famicom inspired guitars are just best left on their stands. -
open your wallets
How Much Is It To Collect Every Famicom Game?
Is it possible to buy all the Famicom games? We mean all, including that copy of Super Mario Bros. with characters from radio show All Night Nippon that was given away at raffles. On a recent episode of Oriental Radio's TV show Shuukan Oriraji Keizai Hakushou, comedians Nakagawa-ke attempt to find out. Trolling Akihabara and online sites, they are able get 1043 of the 1051 games — being unable to locate titles like the card based Datch games: Datach Ultraman, Datach SD Gundam, Datach J-League and Datach Dragon Ball Z. (Some of those Datach games are available over eBay.) And the total cost? Eight games short, their bill was ¥1,350,261 ($11,095). That averages out to about $10.60 per game, which, you know, isn't too bad if you've got money to burn. More » -
super rip-off land
"Rare" Super Mario Bros. IV Hits eBay
It's not often that we see an ultra-rare copy of Super Mario Bros. IV for the NES, let alone one going for the low, low price of only $149.99. The game's rarity is most commonly chalked up to the fact that it doesn't really exist. Yet, today, we are lucky enough to bask in the presence of its eBay auction. More » -
purdy
Retro Famicom Case Art Coolness
Tokyo retailer METEOR is running an art show called "MY FAMICASE EXHIBITION" until May 31st of custom designed Famicom cartridges. Sure, the games aren't real, but the art is. Check out the gallery below. There are some real dazzlers! More » -
(no, really)
Brand Spankin' New Famicom Game
It's been 13 years since the last Famicom game Takahashi Meijin no Bouken Jima IV was released. Leave it to a Japanese TV program to make a totally new, unofficial Famicom game, complete with packaging and an instruction booklet. The game is called Mr. Splash and not sold in stores. Players hover over a pool and try to splash a ball in their opponents goal. Best of all, normal people can actually play this game! So, Tokyo residents, head over to hipster space "gg" and fork over 200 yen for 15 minutes of Mr. Splash. Oh, there's going to be a tournament, and a cartridge will be given to the winner. But, remember, the tourney's on April 28th, and that's tomorrow! Here are the rules. Clips of the cartridge and game play after the jump. More » -
original
Afternoon At The Nintendo Museum
Over the weekend, the fam and I hit Hankyu Department store in Umeda to check out the Nintendo Museum exhibit. Co-sponsored with magazine Nintendo Dream, the exhibition featured items from the collection of Isao Yamazaki. Goodies like retro Nintendo playing cards, post-war toys and retro consoles. Plus there were playable Wii/DS games and stuff to buy. The kid played a bit of Mario Kart on the VC — The staffer had to explain to him that the classic controller doesn't work like the Wii-mote. There were some neat items, like Mario design drawings. Anyway, I'll be uploading pics throughout my shift, so do be sure to check back.
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anime
Anime Songs As Envisioned By The Famicon
Bring on the saccharine cuteness! Idol Haruko Momoi covers popular anime songs via the Nintendo Family Computer on her new album Famison 8BIT. In case you are not familiar with Haruko Momoi, she's a Japanese voice actress, nerdy and gave herself the nickname "Halko," which was inspired by 2001's HAL. Have a listen for yourself here. Not bad, but I don't think I could make it all the way through in one listen. More » -
famicom
Famicom Shop Licensed By Nintendo, Now Closed
Often, Mom and Pop retailers in Japan are actually official dealers of particular products. I've seen this countless times with companies like Panasonic. But Nintendo? While "wandering around aimlessly," Kotaku reader Landon came across the above shop which is a "Famicom Shop" that is "Licensed by Nintendo." He writes: More » -
retro
Japan's Amazing DIY Famicom Guitar
Just look at that craftsmanship. An ingenious guitar loving individual hand made this Famicon electric six-string from Japanese timber. The measurements of the modeled Nintendo Family Computer even match up with the retro console. Everything, including the controller, the d-pad and the buttons were made from wood. The name of this creation? The Family Comguitar. Beautiful. More » -
nintendo
The Famicom Universal TV Remote
Just in time to add another bibelot to your already growing collection of Nintendo themed household accoutrement, comes this Famicom themed universal TV remote. Unfortunately, it doesn't control cable boxes or DVD players, only televisions. The list of compatible brands are: Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, Sylvania, Sanyo, Aiwa, Hitachi, Philips, NEC, JVC, Toshiba, Mitsubishi and Fujitsu. Not recommended for TV's older than 5 years or so. And in case you were wondering, yes, this is an official Nintendo branded product. These are limited editions from Japan, so order now while supplies last! More » -
top
From Tiny To Normal, Various Sized Famicoms Lined Up
You know, I've seen "tiny" Famicoms and "normal" ones. It's the medium-sized ones that are new to me. You?
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