Famicom National Referendum - Japanese fan poll results (ongoing for the system's 40th Anniversary!)

[Link | 2,727]

1 hour ago, scaryice said:

Next week's question: When it comes to 2, what game comes to mind?

Kinda lame. Although we do get to see the raw popularity of some of these games. I'm guessing Dragon Quest 2 followed by Mega Man 2.

I agree that's a goofy topic. Maybe they're not very creative this week. But I will say, when it comes to "2", I definitely think of my favorite NES games. (I know this is a Famicom poll but I have to go by what I know). Zelda II,  Mega Man 2, and SMB2 the actual SMB series game, are all in my top ranks for the Famicom era. 

[scaryice | 596]

This week's result:

Question #30 (2/8-2/14) - When it comes to 2, what game comes to mind?

1	Dragon Quest II	23.9
2	Super Mario Bros. 2 (JP)	20.1
3	Mega Man 2	10.8
4	King Kong 2	8.9
5	Volguard II	2.7
6	Final Fantasy II	2.4
7	Goonies II	2.1
8	Seikima II	1.7
9	Megami Tensei II	1.5
10	Captain Tsubasa II	1.4
10	Gradius II	1.4
12	Ganbare Goemon 2	1.2
13	1942	1.1
14	Gachapon Senshi 2	1.0
15	Famicom Detective Club (part 2)	0.9
16	Mother	0.8
17	Wai Wai World 2	0.7
18	Zelda 2	0.7
19	Dig Dug II	0.6
20	Kyonshiizu 2	0.6
20	Hiryuu no Ken II	0.6

 

These results really show you how important it was to be launched in that boom period for the system. I wouldn't expect King Kong and Volguard to do better than Final Fantasy and Zelda, but there it is. Although, Zelda 2 might be so low because it's listed as just "Link no Bouken" (Adventure of Link). If you type in Zelda 2 in the search box, there's no suggested result. But it does come up if you actually search for that (but not "Zelda II".)

This is probably a good time to point out that the search suggestions may play a role in the poll results. That is to say, without clicking to actually do the search, some suggestions will pop up under the search box. If you put in just the number "2" into the search box, the suggestions are 1942, Keisan Game 2, SMB2, King Kong 2, and Stadium Events (aka Family Trainer 2). So I guess I should be checking that every week too, huh.

Next week's question: When it comes to "the package was good", what comes to mind?

We already had a poll for good manuals, which Zelda won followed by DQ3. They didn't use the word for box specifically, but I have to assume this will mostly be about that? Maybe about box art? Some replies on Twitter are talking about box art, but others are talking about actual sturdy cases, so who knows.

Edited March 7 by scaryice

[koifish | 561]

I would think some of the games that came in extra large boxes or that had accessories built in might qualify. So too might games with nice cases, though they sort of covered that category already. For me, two that stick out as unique are Ide Yousuke no Mahjong, and Lagrange Point.

[scaryice | 596]

This week's results:

Question #31 (2/15-2/21) - When it comes to "the package was good", what comes to mind?

1	Dragon Quest III	14.9
2	Mother	5.0
3	Super Mario Bros.	4.7
4	Super Xevious	3.7
4	Dragon Quest IV	3.7
6	Super Mario Bros. 3	3.3
7	Getsu Fuuma Den	3.3
8	Genpei Touma Den	2.3
9	Final Fantasy III	2.2
10	Wizardry	1.8
11	Famicom Jump	1.8
12	Dragon Quest	1.6
13	Dragon Quest II	1.5
14	Kaijuu Monogatari	1.4
15	Athena	1.3
16	Kirby's Adventure	1.3
17	Life Force	1.2
18	Haja no Fuuin	1.0
19	RBI Baseball	1.0
19	Valkyrie no Bouken	1.0

 

Lots of unique reasons while certain games are here - Super Xevious was the first of three Namco gold carts. Getsu Fuuma Den had the lenticular cover, while Genpei Touma Den was half board game. Kaijuu Monogatari came with some small figures and a big map, while Athena had a cassette tape, and Life Force with its cool see through shell. Of course, the list is still dominated by popular stuff that wasn't quite as impressive, unless you consider game quality to be part of the "package". I would've liked to have seen Shadow Brain and its vhs tape, but that's a very obscure game even for Famicom fans.

Next week's question: When it comes to cats, what comes to mind?

This should be fun. Surely Doraemon in first? The only two games that actually have "neko" in the title are Puss 'n Boots and Koneko Monogatari (FDS). I guess we'll see Onyanko Town, Rockin' Cats, and Samurai Pizza Cats as well. I see a lot of people on Twitter saying Mappy, which makes sense as an earlier title. Although I was thinking more of the playable characters being cats...

 

Edited March 7 by scaryice

[T-Pac | 7,588]

2 hours ago, scaryice said:

This week's results:

Question #31 (2/16-2/22) - When it comes to "the package was good", what comes to mind?

1	Dragon Quest III	14.9
2	Mother	5.0
3	Super Mario Bros.	4.7
4	Super Xevious	3.7
4	Dragon Quest IV	3.7
6	Super Mario Bros. 3	3.3
7	Getsu Fuuma Den	3.3
8	Genpei Touma Den	2.3
9	Final Fantasy III	2.2
10	Wizardry	1.8
11	Famicom Jump	1.8
12	Dragon Quest	1.6
13	Dragon Quest II	1.5
14	Kaijuu Monogatari	1.4
15	Athena	1.3
16	Kirby's Adventure	1.3
17	Life Force	1.2
18	Haja no Fuuin	1.0
19	RBI Baseball	1.0
19	Valkyrie no Bouken	1.0

 

Lots of unique reasons while certain games are here - Super Xevious was the first of three Namco gold carts. Getsu Fuuma Den had the lenticular cover, while Genpei Touma Den was half board game. Kaijuu Monogatari came with some small figures and a big map, while Athena had a cassette tape, and Life Force with its cool see through shell. Of course, the list is still dominated by popular stuff that wasn't quite as impressive, unless you consider game quality to be part of the "package". I would've liked to have seen Shadow Brain and its vhs tape, but that's a very obscure game even for Famicom fans.

Weren't there a bunch of Irem carts with LED lights in them? I would've expected those to be prime contenders now that I see people were voting for interesting cartridge designs and not strictly "packaging".

[T-Pac]

[Link | 2,727]

4 hours ago, scaryice said:

Rockin' Cats, and Samurai Pizza Cats

This is where my mind went. Felix the Cat too, but that was not released in Japan.

[scaryice | 596]

This week's results:

Question #32 (2/22-2/28) - When it comes to cats what comes to mind?

1	City Connection	25.1
2	Mappy	16.4
3	Onyanko Town	14.0
4	Koneko Monogatari	9.8
5	Nagagutsu o Haita Neko	8.6
6	Doraemon	7.3
7	Kyattou Ninden Teyandee	3.7
8	Doraemon: Gigazombie no Gyakushuu	1.4
9	Dragon Quest III	1.3
10	Mappyland	0.8
11	Jarinko Chie	0.8
12	Ganbare Goemon	0.6
12	Rockin' Kats	0.6
12	Tama & Friends	0.6
15	Apple Town Monogatari	0.6
16	Wing of Madoola	0.6
17	Michael English Daibouken	0.5
18	Ninja Hattori-kun	0.5
19	A Week of Garfield	0.5
20	Ganbare Goemon Gaiden	0.4
20	Megami Tensei	0.4

 

I'm kinda shocked by this. I like City Connection, and I know the cats are a memorable part of it, but I had no idea it was that well known. Maybe the Japanese company that named itself after the game (and is basically modern Jaleco) has something to do with it.

I guess Doraemon isn't as high because he's technically a robot cat? I dunno. Lots of obscure FDS games this week. Plus, #4 is the Japanese version of Puss 'n Boots, and #7 is Samurai Pizza Cats. I also feel like there's a certain percentage of fans who will just answer Dragon Quest III to any question, since that game is so popular over there.

 

Next week's question: When it comes to "3 character titles" what game comes to mind?

Well, we already had a 5 character question, so why not. Most popular Twitter answers seem to be Ikki and then Golf.

 

 

Edited March 7 by scaryice

[Gaia Gensouki | 1,079]

6 hours ago, scaryice said:

I'm kinda shocked by this. I like City Connection, and I know the cats are a memorable part of it, but I had no idea it was that well known. Maybe the Japanese company that named itself after the game (and is basically modern Jaleco) has something to do with it.

Whenever you crash into the cat, the game starts playing the flea waltz, which is known as neko funjatta in Japan and translates to: "(Oops,) I stepped on the cat." So it's not just the cat, but also the very popular song.

The Japanese version of Puss N' Boots is Nagagutsu o Haita Neko. Koneko Monogatari, however, is a totally different property, i.e. an 80s movie called The Adventures of Milo and Otis. I've seen this game pop up occasionally on ebay stores from Japanese sellers and always wondered what it was until I researched it. This is what the cover looks like:

[Link | 2,727]

9 hours ago, scaryice said:

Next week's question: When it comes to "3 character titles" what game comes to mind?

Well, we already had a 5 character question, so why not. Most popular Twitter answers seem to be Ikki and then Golf.

I don't know any kana, so, Qix

[scaryice | 596]

This week's results:

Question #33 (2/29-3/6) - When it comes to "3 character titles" what game comes to mind?

1	Ikki	25.7
2	Ghosts 'n Goblins	9.0
3	Contra	9.0
4	Popeye	7.7
5	Golf	7.5
6	Tennis	7.3
7	Athena	5.3
8	Kineko	3.2
9	Guerilla War	2.9
10	Romance of the Three Kingdoms	2.8
11	Ys	2.1
12	Adventures of Dino-Riki	1.9
13	Layla	1.9
14	Ikari Warriors	1.4
15	Juuouki	1.2
16	Hototogisu	1.0
17	Banana	0.9
18	Alpha Mission	0.9
19	Double Dragon	0.8
20	Mother	0.7

 

Seems like there's been a bit of an Ikki revival lately. There was an Ikki level in Blaster Master Zero 2, and there was even a new Ikki online game in the style of Vampire Survivors that came out last year.

Looking at this list, you have to take into account that some of these names are just the American names that I put there. And also, some longer names are represented by Kanji, which makes things more complicated. Basically, you can't make much sense of this topic without looking at all the Japanese titles AND seeing how they're written.

Next week's question: When it comes to "legend" what game comes to mind?

This ought to be more interesting. Obviously Zelda comes to mind first. However, Dragon Quest III's subtitle in Japanese is "And, into the Legend..." We all know how much DQ3 dominates these polls, so I actually expect it to win here. I'll pick Castlevania III (Akumajou Densetsu) for third.

[koifish | 561]

Garfield Shuukan, more like Garfield SURE CAN!

[fcgamer | 4,753]

On 3/7/2024 at 1:02 PM, scaryice said:

This ought to be more interesting. Obviously Zelda comes to mind first. However, Dragon Quest III's subtitle in Japanese is "And, into the Legend..." We all know how much DQ3 dominates these polls, so I actually expect it to win here. I'll pick Castlevania III (Akumajou Densetsu) for third.

Ooohhhh....a densetsu.

i remember someone (tsr / Kevin maybe?) writing a "guide" to Japanese for gaijin and densetsu was one of the words on the list. The guide was quite hilarious though.

[scaryice | 596]

This week's results:

Question #34 (3/7-3/13) - When it comes to "legend" what game comes to mind?

1	Legend of Zelda	35.4
2	Dragon Quest III	25.1
3	Legend of Kage	12.0
4	Momotarou Densetsu	4.9
5	Castlevania III	4.9
6	Valkyrie no Bouken	2.3
7	Risa no Yousei Densetsu	1.8
8	Saint Seiya: Ougon Densetsu	1.4
9	Legend of Ghost Lion	1.2
10	Aigiina no Yogen	1.0
11	Majou Densetsu II: Daimashikyou Galious	0.9
12	Nekketsu Kakutou Densetsu	0.8
13	Wizards & Warriors	0.7
14	Saint Seiya: Ougon Densetsu Kanketsu-hen	0.5
15	Kaguya Hime Densetsu	0.5
15	Takeshi no Chousenjou	0.5
17	Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu	0.4
18	Toki	0.4
18	Zelda 2	0.4
20	Knight Gundam Monogatari 3	0.3
20	Dragon Quest	0.3
20	Dragon Spirit	0.3
20	Momotarou Densetsu Gaiden	0.3

 

It did up being Zelda, although DQ3 got a lot of support. Lots of lesser known games making their first appearance in these polls: Aigiina, Galious, W&W, Kaguya, Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu, Toki, KGM3.

 

Next week's question: When it comes to "action game," what comes to mind?

I'm assuming platformers would be considered an action game, so SMB1/SMB3/Mega Man 2 for the top spots? Plus the likes of Goemon, Doraemon, etc.

 

[scaryice | 596]

This week's results:

Question #35 (3/14-3/20) - When it comes to "action game," what comes to mind?

1	Super Mario Bros.	41.6
2	Elevator Action	6.2
3	Super Mario Bros. 3	5.2
4	Kung Fu	3.3
5	Mega Man	3.0
6	Mega Man 2	3.0
7	Mario Bros.	1.9
8	Kirby's Adventure	1.9
9	Castlevania	1.8
10	Ninja Gaiden	1.2
11	Goonies	1.1
12	Donkey Kong	1.0
13	Konami Wai Wai World	0.9
13	Super Mario Bros. 2 (JP)	0.9
15	Adventure Island	0.9
15	Challenger	0.9
15	Ghosts 'n Goblins	0.9
18	Spelunker	0.8
19	Yie Ar Kung Fu	0.7
20	Renegade	0.6
20	Mega Man 3	0.6

 

Elevator Action sure is an action game. I didn't even think of that. If this were an NES list, there would be three more games with that word in it: Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu (just Jackie Chan in Japan), Last Action Hero, and NES Play Action Football. The latter two not receiving a Famicom release.

Quite a large victory for SMB. It's the second biggest margin of victory in these polls, only trailing poll #14. That was when Dragon Quest II won for the password question with 48.8% of the vote, over DQ1's 10.6%. DQ2's percentage there was also the highest in any question so far, with SMB this week being 5th.

 

Next week's question: When it comes to "farewell", what game comes to mind?

Maybe Adventure Island IV, since that was the last game released over there?

[koifish | 561]

Every single game with a "see you" message on the ending. If it were a game boy poll then surely Makai Toushi SaGa would be up there for its well-known "See you again!" ending.

@scaryice what word exactly did they use for "farewell"?

[scaryice | 596]

On 3/26/2024 at 2:57 PM, koifish said:

Every single game with a "see you" message on the ending. If it were a game boy poll then surely Makai Toushi SaGa would be up there for its well-known "See you again!" ending.

@scaryice what word exactly did they use for "farewell"?

 

第36回 -「別れ」といえば？

 

I guess maybe separation is a better way to describe it, as you'll see in the results below...

Edited March 28 by scaryice

[scaryice | 596]

This week's results:

Question #36 (3/21-3/27) - When it comes to "farewell/separation", what game comes to mind?

1	Final Fantasy II	22.0
2	Dragon Quest III	13.7
3	Dragon Quest IV	9.5
4	Shin Onigashima	6.2
5	Mother	5.6
6	Fire Emblem	4.4
7	Final Fantasy III	4.1
8	Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken	2.7
9	Ginga no Sannin	2.5
10	Dead Zone	2.2
11	Binary Land	2.0
12	Lagrange Point	1.8
13	Ghosts 'n Goblins	1.4
14	Takeshi no Chousenjou	1.2
15	Dragon Quest II	1.1
16	Okhotsuku ni Kiyu	1.0
17	Megami Tensei II	0.8
18	Wizardry	0.8
19	Ice Climber	0.7
20	Ys II	0.6

 

Final Fantasy II is a good choice because of all the characters joining/leaving that 4th party slot throughout your adventure. This is also the first poll that any Final Fantasy game has won, compared to 6 for DQ so far.

Binary Land is an interesting answer, since you're controlling two characters at once and trying to reunite them. GNG is there because of the memorable (and unskippable) opening scene.

 

Next week's question: When it comes to "hidden gems", what game comes to mind?

I'm very curious to see the results of this one. Something like Gimmick comes to mind. Or maybe something like Battletoads or Kage (Shadow of the Ninja). I wonder what would win an NES hidden gems poll these days, because I feel like most of the answers from 20+ years ago are more well known now, like Metal Storm or River City Ransom.

 

 

[fcgamer | 4,753]

On 2/23/2024 at 12:18 AM, Link said:

This is where my mind went. Felix the Cat too, but that was not released in Japan.

Yeah that was one of the rare exceptions where Japan missed out 

[koifish | 561]

11 hours ago, scaryice said:

This week's results:

Question #36 (3/21-3/27) - When it comes to "farewell/separation", what game comes to mind?

1	Final Fantasy II	22.0
2	Dragon Quest III	13.7
3	Dragon Quest IV	9.5
4	Shin Onigashima	6.2
5	Mother	5.6
6	Fire Emblem	4.4
7	Final Fantasy III	4.1
8	Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken	2.7
9	Ginga no Sannin	2.5
10	Dead Zone	2.2
11	Binary Land	2.0
12	Lagrange Point	1.8
13	Ghosts 'n Goblins	1.4
14	Takeshi no Chousenjou	1.2
15	Dragon Quest II	1.1
16	Okhotsuku ni Kiyu	1.0
17	Megami Tensei II	0.8
18	Wizardry	0.8
19	Ice Climber	0.7
20	Ys II	0.6

 

Final Fantasy II is a good choice because of all the characters joining/leaving that 4th party slot throughout your adventure. This is also the first poll that any Final Fantasy game has won, compared to 6 for DQ so far.

Binary Land is an interesting answer, since you're controlling two characters at once and trying to reunite them. GNG is there because of the memorable (and unskippable) opening scene.

 

Next week's question: When it comes to "hidden gems", what game comes to mind?

I'm very curious to see the results of this one. Something like Gimmick comes to mind. Or maybe something like Battletoads or Kage (Shadow of the Ninja). I wonder what would win an NES hidden gems poll these days, because I feel like most of the answers from 20+ years ago are more well known now, like Metal Storm or River City Ransom.

 

 

at this point it's zapper games that aren't duck hunt because normal people don't have tube tvs around anymore. Can't be well known if nobody can play it!

On a more serious note, it's hard to say when we're on a forum that regularly plays every single NES game. Maybe journey to Silius? Lone Ranger would probably also qualify.

Edited March 28 by koifish
remembered

[scaryice | 596]

This week's results:

Question #37 (3/28-4/4) - When it comes to "hidden gems", what game comes to mind?

1	Minelvaton Saga	2.5
2	Just Breed	2.3
3	Lagrange Point	2.0
4	Metal Slader Glory	1.9
5	Joy Mech Fight	1.8
6	Time Twist	1.3
7	Mendel Palace	1.2
8	Metal Max	1.1
9	King of Kings	1.1
10	Gimmick	1.1
11	Sweet Home	1.0
12	Cocoron	1.0
13	Spy vs Spy	0.9
13	Dark Lord	0.9
15	Crystalis	0.9
16	Zanac	0.9
17	Keru Naguuru	0.8
17	Star Luster	0.8
19	Rampart	0.7
20	Radia Senki	0.7

 

Fascinating results! A very divided poll, with the winning entry only getting 2.5%, easily the lowest of any poll so far. Lots of rpgs up and down the top 20. I haven't played Minelvaton Saga, but it's an action rpg similar to Ys. I can testify that Metal Max is fun one, though (unlike Radia Senki, that game is trash). The quality of the games here is pretty good, with stuff like Gimmick and Crystalis among the best on the system for me.

 

 

Next week's question: When it comes to "4 character titles" what game comes to mind?

Poll #18 was 5 character titles, poll #33 was 3 character titles, so I guess this was gonna happen at some point. Xevious, Mappy, and Seicross were among the answers on Twitter.

[koifish | 561]

19 hours ago, scaryice said:

This week's results:

Question #37 (3/28-4/4) - When it comes to "hidden gems", what game comes to mind?

1	Minelvaton Saga	2.5
2	Just Breed	2.3
3	Lagrange Point	2.0
4	Metal Slader Glory	1.9
5	Joy Mech Fight	1.8
6	Time Twist	1.3
7	Mendel Palace	1.2
8	Metal Max	1.1
9	King of Kings	1.1
10	Gimmick	1.1
11	Sweet Home	1.0
12	Cocoron	1.0
13	Spy vs Spy	0.9
13	Dark Lord	0.9
15	Crystalis	0.9
16	Zanac	0.9
17	Keru Naguuru	0.8
17	Star Luster	0.8
19	Rampart	0.7
20	Radia Senki	0.7

 

Fascinating results! A very divided poll, with the winning entry only getting 2.5%, easily the lowest of any poll so far. Lots of rpgs up and down the top 20. I haven't played Minelvaton Saga, but it's an action rpg similar to Ys. I can testify that Metal Max is fun one, though (unlike Radia Senki, that game is trash). The quality of the games here is pretty good, with stuff like Gimmick and Crystalis among the best on the system for me.

 

 

Next week's question: When it comes to "4 character titles" what game comes to mind?

Poll #18 was 5 character titles, poll #33 was 3 character titles, so I guess this was gonna happen at some point. Xevious, Mappy, and Seicross were among the answers on Twitter.

Good list, many of these were late releases and so people likely didn't play them as much. Time Twist was FDS-only, and I don't think it was ever re-released (probably because of the imagery), so that makes sense. Never heard of Minelvaton Saga, but I may have to check it out. Star Luster surprises me a bit, because it's an earlier Namco game, but maybe not many bought it. Those who played it should seriously play Star Raiders though; It's superior to its copycat.

[scaryice | 596]

4 hours ago, koifish said:

Good list, many of these were late releases and so people likely didn't play them as much. Time Twist was FDS-only, and I don't think it was ever re-released (probably because of the imagery), so that makes sense. Never heard of Minelvaton Saga, but I may have to check it out. Star Luster surprises me a bit, because it's an earlier Namco game, but maybe not many bought it. Those who played it should seriously play Star Raiders though; It's superior to its copycat.

 

Star Luster is a common cart, I think it sold well. But the interest in games like that has fallen off so much, that maybe now it seems like a hidden gem to its fans.

[Dr. Morbis | 2,091]

I love seeing Zanac make the hidden gems poll; that's my favourite shooter on the console, bar-none.

[koifish | 561]

11 hours ago, scaryice said:

 

Star Luster is a common cart, I think it sold well. But the interest in games like that has fallen off so much, that maybe now it seems like a hidden gem to its fans.

That makes sense, like how people today might forget about black box games that I liked a lot, like Kung Fu and Clu Clu Land.

[Tanooki | 4,952]

Not a bad list, can't blame that spread.  Star Luster is a little surprising, I own this one and it's a lot of fun despite its age it is fairly unique and plays well.  It's interesting to see Nintendo's own fighter Joy Mech Fight got in high on the list that's a solid little fighting game that plays surprisingly well, almost feels like it has some early Custom Robo dna to it given how that one works out between the fights.  Rampart is a good good call, that game Konami made really shames the US release in comparison, it's not the same title, check it out.  I've been meaning to scoop that one up, just have not yet as I had it years ago.