Hi there!
Lately I've been collecting Famicom games and I wanted to assemble a list of all of the games that I'm going to end up wanting. I started putting it together and looking up various information about the titles and thought that perhaps it would be useful to compile this information into a spreadsheet and share it. I also hoped that I could get some help from others in completing it.
In order to make it onto this list, a game must be playable without extensive knowledge of Japanese. It must also be on cartridge, so no FDS games are included.
Right now it's pretty short, but I'm going to add more as I go. Since it takes a while to put all of the infomation together, I'm just going to add a few at at time. Suggestions for games or other information would be appreciated.
| Romanji Title |
Translated Title |
Localized Title |
Japanese Title |
Genre |
Hard Case |
Game Quality |
Language |
Language Notes |
Japan Exclusive |
Western Release has Changes |
Version Notes |
| Bananan Ouji no Daibouken |
Adventure of Banana Prince |
Banana Prince |
バナナン王子の大冒険 |
Platformer |
No |
★★☆ |
★☆☆ |
Game has quizzes which are required to progress. |
No |
Yes |
Characters redrawn in German version |
| Gimmick! |
|
Mr. Gimmick! |
ギミック! |
Platformer |
Yes |
★★★ |
★★★ |
Virtually no Japanese |
No |
Yes |
Western versions lack expansion audio |
| Holy Diver |
Holy Diver |
Holy Diver |
ホーリーダイヴァー |
Platformer |
No |
★★★ |
|
|
Yes |
N/A |
Licensed US release in 2018 |
| Jūryoku Sōkō Metaru Sutōmu |
Gravity Armor Metal Storm |
Metal Storm |
重力装甲メタルストーム |
Platformer |
No |
★★★ |
|
|
No |
Yes |
US lower difficulty and graphical differences. |
| Mappy Kids |
Mappy Kids |
Mappy Kids |
マッピーキッズ |
Platformer |
Yes |
|
|
|
Yes |
N/A |
|
| Mitsume ga Tooru |
The Three-eyed One |
The Three-eyed One |
三つ目がとおる |
Platformer |
No |
★★★ |
★★☆ |
Item shops in Japanese |
Yes |
N/A |
|
Key
Romanji Title- The Japanese title spelled out in Latin script.
Translated Title- A translation of the Japanese title to English.
Localized Title- The title used for Western releases of this game or for other games in the series.
Japanese Title- The title in Japanese. Helpful for searching.
Genre- The category of games that this title could be classified into.
Hard Case- Was the game released with a hard shell case?
Game Quality- How good is the game for its release date and genre? Not intended as a thorough critical review, but as a generalization to use as a basis for browsing.
★★★- Better than average game for its time. Most fans of NES have fond feelings for this title. (Super Mario Bros. 3)
★★☆- Not a bad game, but may have frustrations that make it not for everyone. (Castlevania II)
★☆☆- Not generally regarded as a good game or good version of the game. Only recommended to a hardcore collector or a big fan of the series. Kusoge. (Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde)
Language- None of these games require extensive Japanese knowledge, but most games do have text, so therefore some things will be lost in most games.
★★★- Japanese language appears only in non-gameplay situations if at all. Japanese text may be in cutscenes, title screen, and may reduce understanding of story, but won't hinder ability to play. If menus have Japanese text then they also have accompanying visual explanations.
★★☆- Some menus or gameplay related information is conveyed in Japanese text. May require occassional trial-and-error, loanwords in Katakana, or consulting a translation guide. Isn't difficult or time-consuming to navigate.
★☆☆- Even though the bulk of the gameplay doesn't require language, a significant amount of the game involves reading Japanese. Examples may be an action-RPG, or a game where beating a section will require reading a hint.
Language Notes- An explanation of the grade given for language.
Japanese Exclusive- Was the game released in the US or PAL territories during the NES’s original life?
Western Release has Changes- If the game was released outside of Japan, were there significant changes to the game, outside of the scope of a quality translation? Examples include changes to gameplay mechanics, graphical changes, story rewrites, and censorship.
Version Notes- Additional information regarding non-Japanese versions of the game.
