What Is Your Favorite Unlicensed NES Game To Play? (etc.)

[fcgamer | 4,753]

If we want to get stupid, tengen Tetris was a pirate bootleg...or not...

You define the definitions you want to follow,then tomorrow I'll make a list of my favorites..

[Tulpa | 3,536]

31 minutes ago, arch_8ngel said:

I guess I've never seen a PAL version of the game.  Is it a standard gray cart?

I think he may mean the Famicom version, which is a licensed Namco(t) cart.

[arch_8ngel | 1,597]

48 minutes ago, Tulpa said:

I think he may mean the Famicom version, which is a licensed Namco(t) cart.

Well, the thread is about NES games  

[Tulpa | 3,536]

44 minutes ago, arch_8ngel said:

Well, the thread is about NES games  

The only other thing I can think of is maybe Playtronic had a licensed version in Brazil. But I don't know enough about their release library.

[PII | 1,897]

Technically, I was referring to the Unlicensed 89 from North America's NES heyday, but if some would like to be a bit loosey Goosey about it then I guess that's fine in my book, not the end of all creation.  I probably could have been a little more specific about it (my bad), but the thing I was really going for was to highlight games of a more obscure nature and differing "gameboard" or play-style relative to the licensed library we're all so much more familiar with, generally. 

Probably shoulda smelled Micro-Machines coming a mile against the wind.  Never really looked at rolling thunder before though; think I always kind of unconsciously expected it to be meh, but it looks really good.  Missed out on a great deal on King Neptune a couple years back and I'm still kicking myself a little.. Got a box for Robodemons but still haven't found a deal on the cart.  Also, when I'm in the mood for it, I love a good game of Roadrunner.  I've yet to happen onto an original arcade machine of it to try out.

Not really surprised that I seem to be the biggest fan of American Game/American Video so far, lol.

[Tanooki | 4,952]

i'm not sure, but that's only exclusively because of Tengen and them alone.  I don't have the NES library I once did, but I used to have all their games outside of all the RBI titles.  There really were not any misses in there as their conversion work within the limits they had are pretty amazing.

Currently I just have Tetris, Road Runner, and Ms Pac-Man from them, kind of makes me feel bad because Rolling Thunder was just soooo good, and so are the Sega titles that got converted as well and I thought I still had Afterburner at least.  Others have pointed out how solid Klax was done too and it is catchy.

I'd have to throw the vote for Tengen Tetris as it has the most play value.

I have a soft spot for Road Runner as it was my first unlicensed game on NES I got as a kid, only one too, had friends with a few others.  Ms Pac-Man I've held onto as it's so perfectly done for the format and yet adds in so many modes and dipswitch, and hack(speed and map changes) possibilities there it stays interesting.

[Dr. Morbis | 2,091]

12 hours ago, arch_8ngel said:

I guess I've never seen a PAL version of the game.  Is it a standard gray cart?

No, he's talking about the Famicom version of Rolling Thunder released in Japan by Namco.  And, actually, a large amount of Namco's Famicom releases were picked up by other publishers and released in North America for the NES...

Edited September 26, 2020 by Dr. Morbis

[The Count | 531]

Micro Machines for me.

[Hammerfestus | 3,884]

Was there an offer back in the day that required Tengen UPCs?  It seems like I come across a lot of Tengen boxes with the UPC cut out.

[PII | 1,897]

3 hours ago, Hammerfestus said:

Was there an offer back in the day that required Tengen UPCs?  It seems like I come across a lot of Tengen boxes with the UPC cut out.

I've noticed the same.  Too many times I've happened onto one online at apparently the right price only to click on it, scan through the pics and find that gaping wound in the back.  It could have been something really mundane, like "get a $5 rebate", but if it was something unique like a poster or a t-shirt, I'd sure like to know...

[fcgamer | 4,753]

I initially asked which definition for the term "unlicensed" we were using, as I am sure that momentarily we will end up with some disputes. Therefore, I will say my piece about the terms before continuing:

To me, I consider a game to be unlicensed if it's a game that has been originally designed / programmed, and of course hasn't been licensed by Nintendo. 

Bootleg / pirates, this is what I'd call the games such as an illegal direct copy of Super Mario Bros or Contra or something. 1:1 copy, maybe the title screen copyright notice has been altered, but not a new game, just everything stolen.

The problem is that there are tons of games that use stolen IPs, yet were made from scratch. I personally would consider them unlicensed, as the graphics were done from scratch, the music, the programming, etc, even if it were using IP that the developer didn't have the rights to use.

Food for thought: Tengen didn't actually have the rights to publish Tetris on the NES, but would most people consider it an unlicensed original game, or just a bootleg? Similarly, I remember a homebrew / indie developer porting Frogger and some other stuff to the NES, then selling it, despite not having the rights. Again, I'd personally consider it an indie/homebrew/unlicensed game, rather than a pirate or bootleg, despite the IP being used without permission. I hope people understand what I am getting at, and my next post will reveal my picks.

[fcgamer | 4,753]

I love the unlicensed originals, to me they are some of the best in the set. Here's a few of my choices.

Time Diver Avenger

Time Diver Avenger was reviewed extensively in Nintendo Power magazine, and was supposed to be a licensed game. Somewhere along the line, the game got cancelled, despite being finished, yet a Taiwanense company out of Hsinchu (there's a large science park there) ended up releasing the game, seemingly with permission from the original developers, on Famicom, albeit unlicensed.

 

Thunder Warrior

This one receives a lot of hate in the west, as it was released by Gluk in Europe. People always cite that the game is difficult and has terrible controls, and I used to feel the same, until actually taking the time to sit down and play it one day. 

Thunder Warrior is a very fun platformer. The game actually isn't very difficult, and the controls aren't bad either, once you get used to the feel. To me, this is one of the better Chinese-themed games on the machine, an area which is sadly lacking.

 

Huang Di

Huang Di is another game with a Chinese cultural flare to it. It's a beautiful platformer, which also has great music. Although the game is quite easy , it's once again one of my favourites in the whole library.

 

Final Fight 3

Final Fight 3 is a remake of the Super Nintendo game. I generally will play this a couple times a year, and I much prefer it to the actual , licensed Final Fight game on the NES (which is still fun though).

 

Donkey Kong Country

There were several attempts made to "port" Donkey Kong Country to the Famicom / NES, but most turned out horrible. This one turned out amazing though. The controls are smooth, and although some liberties were made to get the game running on the Famicom, everything's more or less there.

 

Crystal Mines

I'm surprised there hasn't been much love for Crystal Mines. I used to play this game for hours. By now, the genre isn't something I'd usually play, but it's still an amazing game.

 

Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy

I chose Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy as it's the one I gave on hand, plus I spent the most time on it back in the day, but honestly I'd put all of the Dizzy games on the list. Yeah, they are longish, but they make for a fun afternoon, definitely quality releases.

 

[PII | 1,897]

@fcgamer

You raise an interesting point.  In this case I'd consider Tengen Tetris a counter because it included new material ie. 2-player option.  If it's just a straight rip bootlet/pirate then it's redundant and beside the point of the post.

[fcgamer | 4,753]

Koko Land

For this one, I forget the actual name, it's Koko Land or Koko World or something like that, iirc. It's another fun platform game, this time coming out of Korea.

 

Boomerang Kid

Some of you may remember Boomerang Kid from one of the Quattro carts from Camerica. Again, it's a really fun game, with a fun Australian theme.

 

Micro Motion (Micro Machines)

Before anyone asks, yes, my cartridge is indeed legitimate (actually all of the carts I posted were). Yes, this is how the official version of the game looks on Famicom.

One of my favourite racing games on the machine. Micro Machines is always on the top lists of unlicensed games, and for good reason.

 

Ultimate Stuntman

Ultimate Stuntman is a really fun game, though I put it in the category where I play it for a few rounds, until I lose, then I quit, rather than actually trying to play to complete the game. 

The reason for this is that, iirc, the game gets very frustrating in the later stages, and is very repetitive as a whole. At least this is how I remember it from when I sat down and tried to finish it, as a teenager many years back.

Bignose the Caveman suffered a similar flaw iirc, although I think I did beat it. Bignose is also fun, though I'd consider it a second-tier game, with my picks on this list being at the top of the pack.

 

I just happened to have these handy, I'll add more to the list over the next few days, as I think about it and pull them out. There's a lot to be added here.

Great thread.

Edited September 27, 2020 by fcgamer

[PII | 1,897]

@fcgamer

Nice list.  At one time I was researching a bit regarding 100 or so unlicensed games in, I think it was the euro pal region.  There's a lot more than just the North American out there.  Down-scaled ports like the DK you mentioned are always interesting to see.  I'll bet your unlicensed collection is a real sight.

[fcgamer | 4,753]

Here's a few more, before I step out for this afternoon.

Chinese Checkers

The first Sachen game to appear on my list! My family would sometimes play Chinese checkers with my great-aunt, as I was growing up. As I was quite young, I was never very good at the game, though I still remember how to play to this day.

As far as I know, there was never an official, licensed Chinese Checkers game on the NES or Famicom. For those people that want an electronic version of the game, this game from Sachen fills the void.

My brother and I wasted an afternoon playing this once, in Taiwan, and we had a blast. There are some goofy animations if the pieces dancing, and there were some design flaws that slowed down the gameplay, iirc, but the game is totally fine for what it is. It even allows up to three players to play.

 

Thunderbolt II

I'm not a huge fan of shmups, as I'm not particularly good at them, but I'll give them a go occasionally. Thunderbolt II is a vertical shooter, and it seems to be quite well done. It even has a sequel on the Sega.

Recently someone on vgs had asked me to help him find this game (I'm still looking, haven't forgotten), so one can see it's already starting to get some international attention.

 

Chinese Kung Fu

Chinese Kung Fu was released by Sachen. It's essentially an unofficial installment in the Double Dragon series, though all the IP is original so one could argue that it's just a brawler done in that style.

The game originally had a jump kick / flying side kick in it, but for some reason this was removed from the original Famicom version of the game. When Sachen licensed the game to be published in Australia by Spica, on Famicom, and when they did their NES version of the game, the kick was reimplemented. 

It might not seem like much, but Chinese Kung Fu is a difficult game; with the kick, the game is fun, without the kick, it's painful. So I'd personally only recommend the later versions.

 

Universe Soldiers

Universe Soldiers is a Pac-Man clone, set in space. I actually prefer this game to the Pac-Man games though, as it has a true ending if I remember correctly, and it also has much more variation.

There are numerous items that you can collect throughout the game, altering properties of your car and the things on the board. Also, all of the stages are different patterns. 

I haven't played the game in years, though from what I remember, the game itself wasn't the most visually appealing; however, it played great from a gameplay standpoint.

 

Blood of Jurassic

My next installment in this list will include even more light gun games, but I'll start out with this one. Six stages, some of them even make use of some parallax scrolling. 

Nothing more fun than being dropped into prehistoric times, and shooting up dinosaurs. The game has a great soundtrack, thanks to using the Sunsoft sound driver, and if you played this game while using one of the crazy Famiclone light guns, nothing could top it!

 

Dragon Knife

Dragon Knife is another unofficial sequel or spiritual successor to the Double Dragon games, again having its own original story and IP.

This game was made by Waixing in mainland China. I personally prefer Dragon Knife to Sachen's Chinese Kung Fu, as the game feels more user friendly and balanced in terms of controls, difficulty, etc. 

 

[fcgamer | 4,753]

1 hour ago, PII said:

@fcgamer

Nice list.  At one time I was researching a bit regarding 100 or so unlicensed games in, I think it was the euro pal region.  There's a lot more than just the North American out there.  Down-scaled ports like the DK you mentioned are always interesting to see.  I'll bet your unlicensed collection is a real sight.

Thanks. Yes, I've got quite a collection of these floating around, even a lot for the Sega and Game Boy too. I'm in the works of trying to "do something" with these to document them better, but I'll say more about that project later @OptOut's aware of it though.

While some unlicensed games do have flaws, whether from shoddy programming or just poor game design, there are so many games that I think are equally as good, if not better, than many licensed games, also being leaps and bounds ahead of the unlicensed "people's choice" games, i.e the Tengen stuff. 

[Sumez | 2,994]

I'm not arguing Rolling Thunder wasn't an unlicensed release over in the US, of course it fits into this thread. It just comes so unnatural for me to think of a major, popular and incredibly influential arcade title by a big name like Namco as an "unlicensed" game, due to the publishing it got overseas.

Same thing for Ms. Pac-Man which managed to have both a licensed and an unlicensed release in the same region. Although I guess Tengen is a major player on the "unlicensed category" on the NES, to me they feel like a bit of an outlier on the subject of unlicensed releases in general, since they were a major publisher, and not some indie/pirate outfit, they are the kind of company that should be doing licensed releases, and remained doing so on multiple other platforms.

Edited September 27, 2020 by Sumez

[PII | 1,897]

@fcgamer

I gave each one a peak on YT.  Right off I realized I've played Time diver avenger before as I have it on a multi-cart, except it's called time diver eon man, I think.  That one is very cool, good music too.

Huang Di looks fun, kind of like Ninja Gaiden in an alternate dimension.

Final Fight 3 Looks INCREDIBLE in 8-bits!

Boomerang kid looks like fun and the music while good seems like it's also the type specifically designed to drive a kid's parents nuts. lol.

Would def. like to play Universe Soldiers.

Blood Of Jurassic looks cool, just wish the screen didn's flash with every shot.  I agree there's nothing quite like hunting dinosaurs in a prehistoric environment.

Dragon Knife is very pleasing to look at and looks to be a quality beat 'em up as well.

Was good of you to include all those big pristine quality Cart photos.  Thanx!

[Penguin | 198]

I love King Neptune’s adventure!

[PII | 1,897]

I realize now that it would have been a good idea to encourage everyone to make a list, ere go:

AMERICAN GAME: Shockwave

AMERICAN VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT:  Impossible Mission II, Krazy Kreatures, Pyramid, Puzzle, Trolls On Treasure Island, Mermaids Of Atlantis.

CAMERICA:  Bee 52, Micro Machines

COLOR DREAMS/BUNCH GAMES/WISDOM TREE: (Haven't played many of these) Master Chu, (I expect to like Baby Boomer and King Neptune...) I enjoy Crystal Mines and the two similar Bible games from time to time as well.

TENGEN: Roadrunner, Fantasy Zone, Tubin', Super Sprint.

OTHER: (Haven't messed around much with 6-in-1 or action 52.  The porno games are what they are, I guess.  As for Cheetahmen II - It's an unfinished game, whaddaya expect?)

Edited September 27, 2020 by PII
stylistic consideration

[Tulpa | 3,536]

2 hours ago, Sumez said:

Same thing for Ms. Pac-Man which managed to have both a licensed and an unlicensed release in the same region.

They might as well be two different games, though.

The Namco licensed one is like, "Okay, here's the arcade game. Go away."

Tengen unlicensed is "Here's the game with all these options to keep you entertained." It's also a faster playing game, and it came out way before Namco's version.

[Tulpa | 3,536]

53 minutes ago, PII said:

COLOR DREAMS/BUNCH GAMES/WISDOM TREE: (Haven't played many of these) Master Chu, (I expect to like Baby Boomer and King Neptune...) I enjoy Crystal Mines and the two similar Bible games from time to time as well.

Spiritual Warfare is a pretty decent Zelda clone.

[fcgamer | 4,753]

2 hours ago, Sumez said:

I'm not arguing Rolling Thunder wasn't an unlicensed release over in the US, of course it fits into this thread. It just comes so unnatural for me to think of a major, popular and incredibly influential arcade title by a big name like Namco as an "unlicensed" game, due to the publishing it got overseas.

Same thing for Ms. Pac-Man which managed to have both a licensed and an unlicensed release in the same region. Although I guess Tengen is a major player on the "unlicensed category" on the NES, to me they feel like a bit of an outlier on the subject of unlicensed releases in general, since they were a major publisher, and not some indie/pirate outfit, they are the kind of company that should be doing licensed releases, and remained doing so on multiple other platforms.

Color Dreams licensed a game on the Atari Lynx, C&E licensed a game on the PlayStation, the list could go on. Even the so-called "pirate" companies were much much larger and legitimate than what we tend to believe.

[Tanooki | 4,952]

Here's kind of a side story into the wrench that is/was Tengen Tetris.

Earlier today I had a find in the wild of that 2 year old go retro! retrobit portable that basically has like 35 NES games from mainly Capcom and Data East on there, then a lot of filler trash (thankfully under seperate menu areas.)  Now what's interesting is the Tetris game.  It's Tengen Tetris, it's reskinned, far prettier, nice backgrounds to it, and seeing that the Tetris Company made this an official release, they tacked on the true Tetris Music-A tune we all love instead of those old russian/random tunes the old NES title had.  I found it quite fascinating you had Atari who had the arcade game, then decided to illegally make an NES one through their shadow company Tengen, it gets jerked for being a fraud, and now that fraud is the legit sanctioned 8bit copy of Tetris decades later.