A Question for Famicom/Super Famicom game collectors

[gf78]

I have recently began purchasing some Famicom/Super Famicom titles from Japan and naturally, they haven't arrived yet.  But I've noticed that a large portion of these Japanese releases are complete in their original boxes which also look pretty sturdy and in good condition regardless of their age.

So I wonder, are the Japanese releases in sturdier boxes than what is released in the US?  Do Japanese gamers just take better care of their stuff?  I've picked up a game as old as the original Final Fantasy for the Famicom, complete in the box and it shows some minor scuffing, but otherwise looks pretty close to new.  This release is older than the US NES release, yet trying to find a boxed copy of the US version that doesn't look completely destroyed is pretty difficult.

As for the general collecting aspect of this, any game recommendations?  So far I've picked up FF I-VI , FF USA Mystic Quest and Chrono Trigger.  I'm eyeballing Dragon Quest I-VI, two Front Mission games and a game that from the box art looks cool and is around $15 shipped called Bahamut Lagoon.

[Bwigdahl]

Now me personally since I don't read a lick of japanese, my general rule is that I only get games that either have english translations built into the game, or games that you don't need to read. So RPGs are pretty much out for me, however that changed a bit when I got the retron 5 because you can load fan translations onto certain games. The best thing about Super Famicom though is that they are generally much cheaper than the SNES versions of the games. I bought FFIV, FFV, FFVI and Chrono Trigger all complete in box combined for the same price it cost me to get just FFII and FFIII on SNES cart only.

As for the boxes, I'm not sure if they are made of sturdier stuff but I will say all of my boxed SFC games are in much better condition than any of my boxed SNES games.


The main game I would recommend based on what you already have is Seiken Densetsu 3

[gf78]

Now me personally since I don't read a lick of japanese, my general rule is that I only get games that either have english translations built into the game, or games that you don't need to read. So RPGs are pretty much out for me, however that changed a bit when I got the retron 5 because you can load fan translations onto certain games. The best thing about Super Famicom though is that they are generally much cheaper than the SNES versions of the games. I bought FFIV, FFV, FFVI and Chrono Trigger all complete in box combined for the same price it cost me to get just FFII and FFIII on SNES cart only.

As for the boxes, I'm not sure if they are made of sturdier stuff but I will say all of my boxed SFC games are in much better condition than any of my boxed SNES games.


The main game I would recommend based on what you already have is Seiken Densetsu 3

Seiken Densetsu...ah yes, the original Mana games which were also translated into Final Fantasy Legend.  I wrote those down as well on a short-list of Japanese releases I'm after.

[olly88]

I think it's a mixture of Japanese people being more careful and cautious with the condition of their stuff as you'll see when so many of them list them as in "average" condition and pointing out the tiniest of flaws, when most people outside of Japan would think they're in great condition, which I love about them. But also think the boxes are sturdier. Them being narrower but a bit taller seems to make them a bit more solid IMO.

As you seem to be a fan of RPGs, I'd recommend Shadowrun. It's cheaper than the PAL/NTSC versions (or it was when I got mine), but it contains the original English as well as Japanese, so you don't have to worry about being able to read Japanese to play it.

I have some more recommendations but I've got to go out for a bit, so I'll list some more when I get back

[badATchaos]

The type of cardstock or paper used in the box are the same.

I'm not really sure why their boxes seemed to have survived. Their garbage system is very different from the West. Everything is either burned or recycled. Larger things like appliances you have to pay to throw away. This might create a different mindset on the idea of what can or should be thrown away.

[abe]

If you're looking for some good Super Famicom games to import, Super Puyo Puyo and Super Puyo Puyo Tsu are great games and super cheap to buy CIB. I got my complete copy of Super Puyo Puyo Tsu for $15 including shipping, and I love it.

[gf78]

I think it's a mixture of Japanese people being more careful and cautious with the condition of their stuff as you'll see when so many of them list them as in "average" condition and pointing out the tiniest of flaws, when most people outside of Japan would think they're in great condition, which I love about them. But also think the boxes are sturdier. Them being narrower but a bit taller seems to make them a bit more solid IMO.

I noticed the sellers pointing out the tiniest flaws and showing pictures of the boxes from every angle.  A little tear or mar on the finish is I also just thought of something else.  I noticed all of the Japanese games, the cartridge is sitting in a plastic tray and not a cardboard one like the US releases.  Maybe that helps add to the sturdiness? 

[olly88]

I noticed the sellers pointing out the tiniest flaws and showing pictures of the boxes from every angle.  A little tear or mar on the finish is I also just thought of something else.  I noticed all of the Japanese games, the cartridge is sitting in a plastic tray and not a cardboard one like the US releases.  Maybe that helps add to the sturdiness?

Yeah the plastic rather than cardboard trays probably do help a bit. The only thing I don't like about those is sometimes when pulling it out of the box the plastic makes a bit of a scratchy/screeching noise which feels a bit like nails on a blackboard Luckily that's not too frequent though.

[maximo310]

I would say that it just has better packing from using plastic over cardboard seems to hold up better.
Some other good releases for Super Famicom would be : Front Mission+ Front Mission Gun Hazard, since they both require no Japanese knowledge to complete with most of the menus+items in English, the only thing you'd miss out on is the interesting stories, so you might want to look up the fan translation if you care about the story.
-Pop'n Twinbee ( shmup)
-Parodius (shmup)
Macross Scrambled Valkyrie
-Goemon 2-4
If you have a retron 5 and get some fan translations, you can get a ton of great rpg's such as 4 Fire Emblem games and a ton of Squaresoft rpgs, and DQ 1-3,5, and 6.

[gf78]

I would say that it just has better packing from using plastic over cardboard seems to hold up better.
Some other good releases for Super Famicom would be : Front Mission+ Front Mission Gun Hazard, since they both require no Japanese knowledge to complete with most of the menus+items in English, the only thing you'd miss out on is the interesting stories, so you might want to look up the fan translation if you care about the story.
-Pop'n Twinbee ( shmup)
-Parodius (shmup)
Macross Scrambled Valkyrie
-Goemon 2-4
If you have a retron 5 and get some fan translations, you can get a ton of great rpg's such as 4 Fire Emblem games and a ton of Squaresoft rpgs, and DQ 1-3,5, and 6.

Cool, thanks.     I was looking at the two Front Mission titles and was wondering if Gun Hazzard was Front Mission 2.  I never see a listing for a Front Mission 2 and I know that FM3 came out on the PlayStation.

[maximo310]

I would say that it just has better packing from using plastic over cardboard seems to hold up better.
Some other good releases for Super Famicom would be : Front Mission+ Front Mission Gun Hazard, since they both require no Japanese knowledge to complete with most of the menus+items in English, the only thing you'd miss out on is the interesting stories, so you might want to look up the fan translation if you care about the story.
-Pop'n Twinbee ( shmup)
-Parodius (shmup)
Macross Scrambled Valkyrie
-Goemon 2-4
If you have a retron 5 and get some fan translations, you can get a ton of great rpg's such as 4 Fire Emblem games and a ton of Squaresoft rpgs, and DQ 1-3,5, and 6.

Cool, thanks.     I was looking at the two Front Mission titles and was wondering if Gun Hazzard was Front Mission 2.  I never see a listing for a Front Mission 2 and I know that FM3 came out on the PlayStation.

I actually have Front Mission 2, and that's for the original playstation 1, here's what it looks like: http://vgcollect.com/item/60753.  FM 2 has a great storyline dealing with conflicts in Southeast Asia, and was something I couldn't find until someone translated the script a year ago. Anyways, FM 2 is pretty much like the first FM for menus+ progression, but many of the gameplay mechanics are much more complex, and as a result, its the most difficult game in the series. The game's music is by Mr. Matesuda, one of the main composers of the first FM, and is really good. The only downside to this game is the loading time for engaging battles with enemy units, because 1v1 vs enemy units take place on another map that is seperate from the main field of play. Each loading time is 20-30 sec so its really streches the battles out unfortunately. I'd still reccomend the game to anyone who is a fan of the series, or SRPG's.