Shop
Here we have all the games in the Shop Section.
Merchandise
Guide Book
An independent guide to the Famicom’s many charms. Part 13 includes Nazo No Murasamejyo, Dragon Quest, Bird Week, Super Chinese, Gegege no Ge and Ghouls and Ghosts. Plenty of screen shots and manga style features make this pleasant going. Known in Japan as Family Computer Daizukan.
Famicom Cart
Sports
Never a dull moment with players such as Cupid having a game on a court in space. Players also have very varied shot repertoires adding to the novelty of the colourful and varied courts.
Nintendo Hardware
Controller
The predecessor to the Wii Trainer by a good thirty years and a very clever peripheral it proves making it a wonder why it took so long to rekindle. Some great imagination to mix up the action with a track and hurdle level, mountain path with wild boar, a section based on the tunnels of a pyramid as well as lakeside and riverside levels. The height of retro chic.
Famicom Cart
Sports
The Famicom was decades ahead in terms of its escapades into peripherals and this Family Trainer jogging game is a fine example followed up in years to come by the Wii version. It even tells players how long they have run for and how many calories burned up running through the parks of Tokyo against rival competitiors.
Famicom Cart
Action
A maze version of Family Trainer where the young lad must run through the 3D levels avoiding bats and the like. Interesting use of the Family Trainer mat.
Famicom Cart
Sports
Players get their daily fix of exercise by manoeuvring around the park trying to track down criminals and apprehnding them. Not as easy as it may sound when using your feet to control the action, but a great use fo the peripheral.
Famicom Cart
Sports
Walking like a crab, pushing a beach ball along in a race and hopping from log to log in this sports themed game for the Family Trainer mat. A fine peripheral and well supported by Nintendo.
Famicom Cart
Sports
Known as Batter Up in the West, but in Genki’s humble opinion looks far better with the Homepride Flour, Fred style Japanese graphics. Bases loaded and this representation of the sport covers all bases.
Merchandise
DVD
Highlighting exciting releases of the era with Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo 4 and Siren just a few to whet the appetite in the 90mins of footage.
Merchandise
Magazine
Multi format magazine famed in Japan with reviews that can make or break a game. Covers many bases with a look at gaming soundtracks perhaps of interest to Genki’s conscientious gamers. The adverts look very eye catching too.
Famicom Cart
Shoot Em Up
Conversion of the coin op is garishly illustrated in primary colours. Traverse levels in a wee opa opa pod trying to restore peace to the Fantasy Zone. Unusually the levels don’t scroll but are wrapped around and the boss can only be reached through destroying the ten bases first. Thankfully supplies can be procured from passing hot air balloons bringing welcome relief.
PS2
A Bit Special
One of the first releases in Japan for the PS2, it is only recently the delights of Fantavision have blasted back into the limelight boosting its price on the second hand market. Long may Sony continue such experimental titles.
PC Engine CD ROM
RPG
A step back to feudal times and a golden gaming era when RPGs were a soothing combination of exploring the village to simple chip tunes before more sinister encounters with combat requiring experience points.
PC Engine Super CD ROM
RPG
Full of crazy Kabuki (traditional Japanese theatre) humour and expressions, with beautiful anime sequences and plenty of madness. Also known as ‘Tengai Makyo.’
Soundtracks
Soundtrack
A drama or radio show style CD based on the popular Hudson Tengai Makyou series. Fine voice acting from the stars of the show and a nice collectable.
PC Engine CD ROM
RPG
Well-loved series on the platform and fine use of the new format, as it was at the time, with animated cut-scenes and plenty of speech to meet the fine band of folk that inhabit its old school, RPG village and locales.
Mega Drive
Sports
Tidy little retro racer covering the formula one world circuit tour with split screen two player mode and some tight corners. Human were the 16Bit masters of the F1 season – an ever present on the winners podium.
Super Famicom
One on One Beat Em Up
Geese Howard squawks up to all and sundry that to beat him you must first conquer his martial arts tournament and smash your way through his cronies. Simple pick up and play mechanics are enjoyable compared with the complexity of some series’ special moves and the additional fighting plane literally adds a new dimension to gameplay. Savour the start of an immense series. Subtitled ‘The Battle of Destiny.’
Super Famicom
One on One Beat Em Up
Geese Howard squawks up to all and sundry that to beat him you must first conquer his martial arts tournament and smash your way through his cronies. Simple pick up and play mechanics are enjoyable compared with the complexity of some series’ special moves and the additional fighting plane literally adds a new dimension to gameplay. Savour the start of an immense series. Subtitled ‘The Battle of Destiny.’
PC Engine Arcade CD
One on One Beat Em Up
Conversion of the massive Neo Geo title from the 2D fighting grandmaster SNK. Some wonderful playable characters to choose from including the superbly named Korean Taekwondo expert KimKap Hwan and wide girthed Chinese gent Cheng Sinzan.
Super Famicom
One on One Beat Em Up
Conversion of the massive Neo Geo title from the 2D fighting grandmaster SNK. Some wonderful playable characters to choose from including the superbly named Korean Taekwondo expert KimKap Hwan and generous girth of Chinese gent Cheng Sinzan.
Brilliant Nintendo Hardware
Controller
Sticks to the fine layout of the SFC original, but also has a special mode for use with Garou Densetsu 2 to allow simple execution of special moves. Overall a very smooth pad is jet black finish.
Sega Saturn
One on One Beat Em Up
The first release from the Fatal Fury series to make it across to the Saturn and this heavyweight weighs in without a ram cart meaning a few frames of animation get lost in the conversion process from the whopping Neo Geo big brother. Still an admirable effort though as SNK come out from their corner fists flailing.
Super Famicom
One on One Beat Em Up
Truly jaw dropping in its hey day with the train and waterfall backdrops particularly memorable, this grandmaster can still pull off a few tricks on the Super Famicom like old Jubei Yamada. Full of that distinct SNK style much imitated, but never surpassed and another excellent Takara conversion.
Nintendo Hardware
Console
Allows you to play Japanese Famicom titles bringing back some heady memories. However it is not compatible with every game released for the Famicom system, there are some that won’t run on it.
Miscellaneous Hardware
Accessory
Famicom and Super Famicom replacement Japanese AC adaptor for those with a step down transformer who just want to plug in and play their Famicom and Super Famicom. Handy considering the Super Famicom never came with a power supply due to the success of the compatible Famicom power cord. Lightweight and compact, similar to a phone charger. Also suitable for the AV Famicom, SFC Jnr, PC Engine and Mega Drive.
Super Famicom
RPG
Striking artwork up there with the finest Sega Fantasy. Tactical combat in positioning troops and some lavish cut scenes to the combat to help crank up the tension alongside the triumphant soundtrack. A fine example of the genre.
Super Famicom
Simulation
Striking artwork up there with the finest Sega Fantasy. Tactical combat in positioning troops and some lavish cut scenes to the combat to help crank up the tension alongside the triumphant soundtrack. A fine example of the genre.
PS2
Sports
Stunning 60 frames per second graphics on par with the coin op release, tight controls and, as the name would suggest, a real challenge to get to grips with demanding more and more from the driver to really push you to the limits. Sega has worked hard on the physics, handling, collisions and this realistic title pushes Gran Turismo right up against the guard rail with Yu Suzuki’s expertise shining through like lens flare. Realistic too in the sense that braking is a must to progress, making for some slight initial teething but that is soon soothed away as you power slide to perfection.
GameBoy Color
Simulation
Not sure if its our northern roots, but there should be more releases in the looking after Ferret genre as the pet gets well looked after, even with trips to the pet shop to really spoil your companion. Known as Ferret Monogatari in Japan.