Something needs some oil or service. Physical movement of the disk ‘bay’ is probably slightly misaligned and re-doing it is kind of like whacking the side.
I have a similar issue with my standard FDS, it works fine on single sided games, but struggles when changing sides. I need to push part of it internally to get it going. Unfortunately for me it means complete disassembly to the same level as a belt change, and all the tuning/assignment nightmares that come with that.
Makes sense! Explains a lot actually as the issue came back, but I can now bypass it by slightly pushing the eject button inward, which is better than ejecting the disc and reinserting it (I hope). Got to level 9 on Zelda tonight at least!
Finally got round to playing through Super Mario Bros 3 on Famicom! Been meaning to revisit this game for years, having only previously played it via Super Mario Advance 4 in 2004.
I had a couple of initial runs earlier this year where I’d make it to the end of world 3, but would run out of time to make it any further without having to shut the system off…
…that’s where the game shines - it’s clearly been designed for replayability despite its massively expanded scope from Super Mario Bros., and the game is just packed with ways you can shave off time when replaying worlds, thanks to its excellent world map screen that gives you plenty of strategic choice and agency in how you navigate through it (Super Mario Bros. Wonder, eat your heart out!)
The benefits of its overworld extend beyond fresh runs of the game. The Famicom version shocked me by how it sends you all the way back to the start of each world despite having beaten fortresses that I had expected would be checkpoints. But this is clearly part of the game’s design - any locked doors remain unlocked, giving you new routes to take through the overworld.
I particularly enjoyed world 7 (pipe land) and how it forces you to tackle some extra hard stages if you want to take shortcuts through to the later stages. World 8’s journey though the deep pits aren’t just three new challenges but ways to stock up on tanuki/raccoon leaves in the run up to the final castle.
It’s brilliant. When coupled with the item system it adds an extra layer of strategy on top of just playing through the levels, your current mental state often determining whether you want to use that last P-Wing or cloud in case you really do make it through the world during the next attempt.
Since I’d previously done worlds 1-3 on Famicom, the path I took this time was worlds 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Great game!
Insane that it’s a game from 1988.
It’s truly an inflection point where the arcade quarter munching roots of console action games merged with the ‘deep’ systems of RPGs like overworlds and collectible resources in a mainstream way and games never went back from this. It became the standard.
I distinctly remember it being the game that caused me to be an enthusiast rather than just a kid who occasionally played video games. It was so inventive for its time that it opened my eyes to what was possible in the medium. I think it’s the first game I played that felt like a leap over the other stuff I was playing.
Really interesting to hear just how much of a step up it was back when it launched on Famicom and NES.
Makes me wish Nintendo ported it to Game Boy Advance first, I remember my kid mind being blown going from Super Mario Bros DX on GBC to Super Mario Advance 2 (Mario World) and again to Mario Advance 3 (Yoshi’s Island), which probably dampened the impact of Mario Bros 3 via Mario Advance 4. Enjoyed it immensely of course, but it was hard to understand just how much of a leap it was.
Revisiting it today though clearly rectified that, and it’ll always be an extremely entertaining game!
Finally playing Ninja Gaiden II on Famicom and this is another game that has so much to appreciate for the time. Every level tries something new. While I haven’t made it past stage 4, the lightning strikes and silhouettes in stage 3 and the way the wind impacts your every move in stage 2 really seem to have set the stage for an ambitious sequel. Just wish I wasn’t so bad at it.
And I finally finished Mega Man 3 today! Easily my favourite in the sidescrolling series, above Mega Man X and Mega Man Zero 2.
I wish I played this back on Wii Virtual Console over the second game which didn’t really grab me. The addition of the slide changes everything, and it never felt like trial and error due to the extra manoeuvrability you have in close situations. The platforming is greatly influenced by this too, it’s just such a satisfying game to play and master.
The Game Boy version (Rockman World 3) also fantastic, adapting levels to the more cramped Game Boy display, upping the tension. I had to play that one on Analogue Pocket and rely on save states for boss checkpoints though - it’s a more brutal game than its Famicom counterpart. But it also has more detailed environments with animated backdrops. Just gorgeous.
Some shots of the ending to Rockman 3:
II is much better A good upgrade in graphics and tighter, fairer stage design, less infuriating moments.
Funny how I played both though on NES in the late 90s when they were already ‘retro’. I also had N64/PS1 but was playing NES games at college sometimes and people thought they were ‘old kids junk’. And to think that was 25 years ago…
I first played Ninja Gaiden in 1989 at college. Guys down the hall had an NES and we had a bunch of us taking turns attempting to get further. Couldn’t turn it off of course so because I was the most into trying to finish it, we moved the NES to my room so it could remain on 24/7 to get to the end. The guy that owned it wanted to sleep! Lol!
Good damn times. Frustrating as hell, but ultimately a superior memory of gaming’s past for me.
thinking i finally wanna get a famicom and FDS setup going! had a few questions if anyone’s down
is this a good deal? gonna offer lower but i really like that the belt & other parts have been changed out
i grabbed an adapter for peripherals, a pin connector should suffice to get my n8 everdrive pro working there though yeah?
i recall the AV/composite on my friend’s FDS looking better than our stock NES signal was, so that’s good. anything else to know? i gotta go look up what some disks go for these days, love the classic packaging
oh shit really? that’s awesome
also still on my famicom disk system kick, just researching & i saw that zelda 1 and metroid brought stickers in their manuals - not just the label ones, but cool character art ones! does anyone know which other fds games did this, was it mostly first party releases? couldn’t see if castlevania or others did from ebay listings
I seem to recall the label ones are ‘replacement’ ones, like if you write and re-write the disk maybe? And they included some bonus character stickers on the rest of the sticker sheet of the labels.
I’ll check my Metroid and Zelda, my Metroid was purchased sealed (over 20 years ago… weirdly they was only ~12 years or so old when I bought most of my FDS disks) so can confirm what they came with.
Nazo no Murasamejo had this. I assume Kid Icarus did as well.
So yep, early first party games had a sticker sheet, primarily for replacement labels, but included some bonus stickers.
Zelda
Metroid
Nazo no Murasamejou
But nothing for later games, eg Japan Golf
Vs ExciteBike
Or third party games, eg Castlevania.
thank you so much for this, man. i’m thinking ill get this FDS soon and maybe try to pick up a game every month, just sitting on the floor of my game room & seeing how far i get in some of these old classics (or ones new to me!), and was trying to sort which ones i really wanted to find the best versions possible - it’s silly, but now that i finally have my own house, i kinda love putting up all these old gaming stickers that give me joy
definitely going after those 3 with them, then - if anyone sees more first party releases with em (mario 1&2, maybe DK?) lemme know! i love this era’s art so much
FDS is super fun. The little disks have a really nice 80s futurism to them.
My damn drive has issues after 20 years now, though not the belt, other gear stuff getting stuck when changing sides on disks. I need another because I put a few hours into trying to fix it already and that’s enough for me these days!
it’s heeeeeereeee
so hyped! sadly had to run to work, but off later this week to test it out
i’ve got a classic fami gun for it, and an adapter for western controllers too - ordering a disk-kun keeper for the discs soon, think the only question i have for @D.Lo or others:
i have one of those old adapters from gyromite (i think) to play fami carts on a us nes. that’s not gonna work here right? if i wanna play my us everdrive & explore this library (with the proper channels of sound!) i need another adapter to do so?
Congrats!!! Looks amazing too, loving the fresh appearance.
Stick with Kid Icarus if you can, played through the whole thing myself on my Twin Famicom last year and was blown away by it!
yeah i’m really pleased! seller said they changed out the belt, did av mod & something for jailbars, as well as touched up the shell
and i totally intend to! for years, when i’ve gotten a new system, i’ve kinda dived into picking up essentials/etc at first…but my game room setup doesn’t really have more console shelf space at the moment, so the place for this is directly below the CRT
meaning i’m gonna be basically sitting on the ground with these short cords for maximum authenticity, haha
so since there’s a good 8-10 titles i either wanna finally check out or finish/replay in this new format, i think ill only grab a new disk every month or two to really give a chance to dive in & see how far i get!
only beat icarus in the day with a game genie, so lets do this one right this time, haha. think ill do metroid next - gonna be fun looking up or making maps, and this time i won’t need half a notebook for passwords 
The gyromite adapter will work for the opposite for most games, aka will run Famicom carts on NES, minus any expansion audio.
You need the opposite adapter, a NES to Fami adapter.
Can’t vouch for it but this type of thing is what is needed
