scaryice

It's now midnight in the eastern time zone, so the 2024 competition has officially started!

History Standings for previous years: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mtVLHFkZmpURNTAwnwL0n9i6KaEPuXl8wtsSB3gvdV0/edit#gid=1249105543 Champion Points Second Points Third Points 2012 Crabmaster2000 scaryice 8-bit boice 2013 WashYourFace Crabmaster2000 Red 2014 nerdynebraskan 487 DoctorNick 368 scaryice 277 2015 DoctorNick 697 Bea Iank 692.5 nerdynebraskan 449 2016 Bea Iank 657 nerdynebraskan 514.33 tablew/chairs 435.25 2017 guitarzombie 475 John198X 447.5 nerdynebraskan 437 2018 nerdynebraskan 852 Crabmaster2000 268 Kid Dracula 246 2019 nerdynebraskan 872 Crabmaster2000 498 tablew/chairs 318 2020 nerdynebraskan 711 Gaia Gensouki 574 Kid Dracula 467 2021 nerdynebraskan 658 Gaia Gensouki 403 Khromak 349 2022 nerdynebraskan 851.5 Gaia Gensouki 425.5 the wizard 666 322 2023 nerdynebraskan 932.5 Gaia Gensouki 714.5 Khromak 284.5 For 2012-13, champions were decided by total games beaten. Total Progress (percentage of licensed games beaten) (others listed on the right column) 2012 677 100% 2013 562 83.00% 81/91 UNL 2014 638 94.20% 75/91 UNL 2015 677 100% 34/34 PAL 2016 677 100% 91/91 UNL, 35/35 PAL 2017 589 87.00% 55/73 FC 2018 582 86.00% 35/73 FC 2019 587 86.70% 2020 677 100% 2021 665 98.20% 2022 564 83.30% 83/100 bonus 2023 600 88.63% 75/100 bonus All Time Point Leaders (2014-23) Total Licensed Others 1 nerdynebraskan 6,764 6,044 720 2 Gaia Gensouki 2,200 1,944 256 3 scaryice 2,161 1,962 199 4 tablew/chairs 2,049 1,927 122 5 Bea Iank 1,819 1,304 515 6 Crabmaster2000 1,197 1,093 104 7 DoctorNick 1,123 1,092 31 8 guitarzombie 1,026 969 57 9 Daniel Doyce 1,020 925 95 10 Khromak 914 789 125 11 bronzeshield 814 643 171 12 BlackVega 813 679 134 13 NESfiend 748 694 54 14 Kid Dracula 730 667 63 15 Bearcat-Doug 699 673 26 16 WashYourFace 640 521 119 17 bimmy lee 587 573 14 18 John198X 517 426 91 19 PII 498 435 63 20 the wizard 666 497 450 47 21 cdbblw 483 483 0 22 Red 443 359 84 23 Strikezone1 406 377 29 24 mbd39 383 378 5 25 arnpoly 363 351 12 All Time Completion Leaders (2012-23) Total Licensed Others 1 nerdynebraskan 1,638 1,518 120 2 scaryice 526 501 25 3 Gaia Gensouki 353 325 28 4 Crabmaster2000 309 309 0 5 Bea Iank 297 211 86 6 tablew/chairs 271 270 1 7 bimmy lee 266 258 8 8 WashYourFace 223 173 50 9 guitarzombie 179 169 10 10 Bearcat-Doug 169 168 1 11 DoctorNick 155 150 5 12 Daniel Doyce 141 139 2 12 Red 141 122 19 14 bronzeshield 137 115 22 15 Khromak 129 109 20 16 Kid Dracula 127 126 1 17 the wizard 666 125 99 27 18 BlackVega 118 97 21 19 NESfiend 108 107 1 20 John198X 97 78 19 21 mbd39 93 93 0 22 PII 82 78 4 23 cdbblw 74 74 0 24 Sukhov 72 70 2 25 acromite53 65 63 2 ...

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Here's a list of the top players in this year's competition. Any ties will be broken by 1) most games beaten & 2) most 10s beaten, followed by most 9s, most 8s, etc. Current Standings Points Games Bonus 1 Gaia Gensouki 741 94 125 2 nerdynebraskan 562 143 38 3 Khromak 372 46 41 4 guitarzombie 362 50 33 5 scaryice 271 49 34 6 Daniel Doyce 199 20 40 7 NESfiend 172 24 27 8 the wizard 666 162 35.5 11 9 Tablew/chairs 155 13 43 10 BriGuy82 147 15 29 11 DefaultGen 143 24 31 12 PII 124 18 27 13 McBryce 100 8 28 14 Dr. Morbis 75 9.5 8 15 Gloves 67 25 3 16 Bearcat-Doug 59 13 3 17 TheGameDisplay 55 5 16 18 mbd39 51 10 7 19 Strikezone1 44 6 5 20 Jandrem 32 5 3 21 Jeevan 25 4 1 22 TriHart 23 3 4 23 L0neStar 19 3 24 arnpoly 16 1 6 25 MegaMan52 15 4 26 Brickman 14 4 27 fusoyaff2 12 3 28 bronzeshield 11 1 2 29 WashYourFace 6 3 30 DOOM TUSK 5 1 31 T-Pac 4 1 32 Splain 3 1 33 wongojack 3 1 34 Red 1 1 35 Tantalus 1 1 duplicates/unbeatable xxx 15 xxx Pain Points Standings (awarded for beating games that were unbeaten in previous years, one point per year unbeaten) PP Biggest Clears 1 Gaia Gensouki 125 Dungeon Magic (7), Flying Warriors (7), Track & Field II (5) 2 Tablew/chairs 43 Treasure Master (6), Rock 'n Ball (5), Thunder & Lightning (5) 3 Khromak 41 Back to the Future II/III (5), Boulder Dash (3), Racket Attack (3) 4 Daniel Doyce 40 Lemmings (6), Lunar Pool (4), Ultima V (4) 5 nerdynebraskan 38 Little Ninja Brothers (5), All Pro Basketball (4), Athletic World (4) 6 scaryice 34 Super Glove Ball (5), Top Players Tennis (5), Time Lord (4) 7 guitarzombie 33 Last Starfighter (5), Ultimate Air Combat (5), Dynatron City (4) 8 DefaultGen 31 Battle Tank (7). Motor City Patrol (6), Might & Magic (5) 9 BriGuy82 29 Destination Earth Star (7), Flight of the Intruder (7), High Speed (3) 10 McBryce 28 F-117A Stealth Fighter (6), Bases Loaded IV (5), Bases Loaded III (4) 11 NESfiend 27 Bases Loaded II (4), Empire Strikes Back (4), Side Pocket (4) 12 PII 27 Infiltrator (6), Loopz (4), Mighty Bomb Jack (3) 13 TheGameDisplay 16 Ring King (5), Sky Kid (5), Slalom (3) 14 the wizard 666 11 Bandit Kings of Ancient China (3), California Games (2), Digger T. Rock (2) 15 Dr. Morbis 8 Zanac (3), Orb-3D (2), Legends of the Diamond (1) 16 mbd39 7 Bad Street Brawler (2), Cobra Triangle (2), Bump 'n Jump (1) 17 arnpoly 6 Solar Jetman (6) 18 Strikezone1 5 Street Cop (3), Kid Icarus (1), Shooting Range (1) 19 TriHart 4 Tetris 2 (4) 20 Bearcat-Doug 3 Ms. Pac Man (1), Pro Wrestling (1), Tecmo World Wrestling (1) 21 Gloves 3 Barker Bill (2), Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt (1) 22 Jandrem 3 Ultima: Exodus (2), Werewolf (1) 23 bronzeshield 2 Star Voyager (2) 24 Jeevan 1 Legend of Ghost Lion (1) Points Games Bonus Beat 3486 660 565 Left 155 17 64 95.7% 97.5% 89.8% Points Beat Left 1 67 2 66 3 66 4 66 5 66 6 66 7 64 2 8 64 2 9 61 5 10 59 8 ...

It's once again time for VGS to beat every single NES game in a single year! Our goal is to collectively beat every licensed US game on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Each game is worth a certain number of points (1-10), based on how long it's taken them to complete over the past five years. Generally, the harder a game is, the more points it's worth, although rarity, length, and quality play a role as well. For 2024, "pain points" will be awarded as a bonus for games which have gone unbeaten in previous years, with a total of one point per year unbeaten. That's the second number in the lists below. Rules Post the games you've beaten in this thread. No cheat codes or level selects, obviously. No turbo controllers either - just play the game legit. We're using the honor system here, so no pics or anything required (although they are fun & encouraged). Emulators are ok too (no save states/frame skip/cheats). Using continues or passwords is fine as well, as long as the entire game was beaten in this calendar year. However, you may not use any codes unless they were given to you by the game itself or the manual. So no continuing in Arkanoid or Ikari Warriors, for example. If a game has no ending and just repeats the same stages, then we'll generally consider it beaten once you get to the point where it repeats and also beat the high score if there is one. The pastebin below is a list of what constitutes beating many of the less obvious games , so check that out or ask here if you're unsure. It's not necessary to get every ending or play on the highest difficulty (with a couple of exceptions where you don't play the full game otherwise). All games must be played entirely in 2024 from start to finish. Conditions for victory: https://pastebin.com/JJ6Zy2Di For some games, it's not obvious what constitutes actually beating the game. I've tried to provide a list of those games here. If you still have questions about these or other games, please ask in the thread. Unbeaten 9 4 Arkanoid 8 2 Athena 10 5 Bill Elliott's Nascar Challenge 8 5 Championship Pool 10 4 Dance Aerobics 10 2 Genghis Khan 10 5 Hunt for Red October 9 4 Ikari Warriors 10 4 Kung Fu Heroes 9 5 Michael Andretti's World Grand Prix 7 5 Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing 9 4 Rally Bike 10 3 Star Force 9 2 Star Soldier 10 5 To the Earth 10 3 Top Gun: The Second Mission 7 2 Xevious Completed 1 x 2-in-1 Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt games listed individually 2 x 2-in-1 Super Spike V'Ball/World Cup Soccer games listed individually 3 x 3-in-1 Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt/World Class Track Meet games listed individually 4 x Donkey Kong Classics games listed individually 5 x Sesame Street: ABC/123 games listed individually 6 x Pac-Man (Tengen) duplicate game 7 x Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream duplicate game 8 x Stadium Events duplicate game 9 x Color a Dinosaur not included 10 x Donkey Kong Jr. Math not included 11 x Miracle Piano Teaching System not included 12 x Stack-Up not included 13 x Taboo: The Sixth Sense not included 14 x Tiny Toon Adventures Cartoon Workshop not included 15 x Videomation not included 16 2 Wheel of Fortune WashYourFace 17 1 Ninja Gaiden DefaultGen 18 1 Friday the 13th nerdynebraskan 19 1 Spy vs. Spy Red 20 1 Donkey Kong Gloves 21 1 Donkey Kong Jr. Gloves 22 1 Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers nerdynebraskan 23 1 Donkey Kong 3 Gloves 24 1 Popeye Gloves 25 1 Dr. Mario nerdynebraskan 26 1 Pac-Man (Namco) nerdynebraskan 27 1 Defender II Gloves 28 2 Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos DefaultGen 29 1 Galaga Gloves 30 1 Chessmaster Gloves 31 6 1 Town & Country Surf Designs Gaia Gensouki 32 1 Great Waldo Search Gloves 33 1 Mega Man nerdynebraskan 34 1 Jaws nerdynebraskan 35 1 Contra Gloves 36 1 Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom DefaultGen 37 1 Ice Hockey Gloves 38 2 Where's Waldo DefaultGen 39 1 Jeopardy! 25th Silver Anniversary Edition WashYourFace 40 6 Adventures in the Magic Kingdom Gaia Gensouki 41 1 Magmax Gloves 42 2 Home Alone DefaultGen 43 4 Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat Gaia Gensouki 44 1 10 Yard Fight DefaultGen 45 3 Double Dare DefaultGen 46 1 Super Mario Bros. 3 Gloves 47 1 Spot DefaultGen 48 5 1 Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle and Friends Gaia Gensouki 49 1 Super Mario Bros. DefaultGen 50 7 Wayne's World Gaia Gensouki 51 6 Othello Gaia Gensouki 52 6 2 Total Recall Gaia Gensouki 53 8 2 Last Ninja Gaia Gensouki 54 3 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Jandrem 55 2 Kabuki: Quantum Fighter Gloves 56 1 Millipede Gloves 57 7 1 Dash Galaxy in the Alien Asylum Gaia Gensouki 58 3 Hogan's Alley Gloves 59 1 Arch Rivals: A Basket Brawl! Gloves 60 7 3 Rocket Ranger Gaia Gensouki 61 1 Super Mario Bros. 2 Tantalus 62 3 Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse fusoyaff2 63 5 Maniac Mansion DOOM TUSK 64 4 3 Q*Bert Tablew/chairs 65 4 M.U.S.C.L.E. Gloves 66 3 Duck Hunt Gloves 67 1 Monopoly nerdynebraskan 68 4 G.I. Joe Jandrem 69 5 1 Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde Gaia Gensouki 70 7 Die Hard guitarzombie 71 6 Joe & Mac Gloves 72 1 Tecmo Super Bowl nerdynebraskan 73 1 WWF Wrestlemania Challenge nerdynebraskan 74 1 Tetris nerdynebraskan 75 7 1 Last Action Hero guitarzombie 76 10 3 Al Unser Jr.'s Turbo Racing Daniel Doyce 77 2 1 Overlord DefaultGen 78 7 1 Addams Family: Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt Gloves 79 9 1 Knight Rider guitarzombie 80 5 1 Strider DefaultGen 81 1 Magic Johnson's Fast Break DefaultGen 82 10 3 Stealth ATF Gaia Gensouki 83 5 Defender of the Crown DefaultGen 84 2 Archon DefaultGen 85 6 S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team Gloves 86 7 Barbie guitarzombie 87 6 Boy And His Blob, A guitarzombie 88 4 Zombie Nation guitarzombie 89 4 Adventures of Dino Riki Gloves 90 5 Platoon Strikezone1 91 3 City Connection the wizard 666 92 6 Dick Tracy guitarzombie 93 2 Wheel of Fortune: Featuring Vanna White the wizard 666 94 2 WWF King of the Ring the wizard 666 95 9 1 Gemfire Daniel Doyce 96 4 Wayne Gretzky Hockey the wizard 666 97 10 2 Barker Bill's Trick Shooting Gloves 98 3 Battle Chess Gloves 99 4 Sesame Street: ABC the wizard 666 100 4 Sesame Street: 123 the wizard 666 101 5 Family Feud Dr. Morbis 102 7 Metal Gear fusoyaff2 103 3 Championship Bowling WashYourFace 104 8 1 Jordan vs. Bird: One-on-One the wizard 666 105 8 1 World Games the wizard 666 106 1 Amagon scaryice 107 2 Wheel of Fortune: Family Edition the wizard 666 108 2 Wheel of Fortune: Jr. the wizard 666 109 1 Urban Champion the wizard 666 110 2 Double Dribble the wizard 666 111 4 Classic Concentration the wizard 666 112 7 2 Phantom Fighter scaryice 113 2 Caesar's Palace Daniel Doyce 114 5 Cliffhanger guitarzombie 115 5 Batman: Return of the Joker guitarzombie 116 5 Vegas Dream guitarzombie 117 1 Duck Tales nerdynebraskan 118 3 Gotcha! nerdynebraskan 119 3 Wild Gunman nerdynebraskan 120 4 2 Sky Shark Gaia Gensouki 121 5 Bionic Commando guitarzombie 122 1 Mega Man 2 nerdynebraskan 123 7 1 Addams Family Gaia Gensouki 124 3 Gun Nac nerdynebraskan 125 1 Double Dragon nerdynebraskan 126 6 Whomp 'Em Gaia Gensouki 127 3 Base Wars - Cyber Stadium Series nerdynebraskan 128 9 2 World Champ Gaia Gensouki 129 2 Operation Wolf nerdynebraskan 130 1 Fisher Price: I Can Remember nerdynebraskan 131 4 Sesame Street: Big Bird's Hide & Speak the wizard 666 132 5 Widget Gaia Gensouki 133 2 Mega Man 6 nerdynebraskan 134 2 WWF Wrestlemania: Steel Cage Challenge nerdynebraskan 135 4 Mickey Mousecapade Gaia Gensouki 136 3 Sesame Street: Countdown the wizard 666 137 2 Shadowgate fusoyaff2 138 2 Desert Commander nerdynebraskan 139 3 Hollywood Squares the wizard 666 140 2 Bonk's Adventure nerdynebraskan 141 1 RoboCop nerdynebraskan 142 4 Journey to Silius mbd39 143 1 Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers 2 nerdynebraskan 144 6 Gargoyle's Quest II guitarzombie 145 2 Harlem Globetrotters the wizard 666 146 2 Spelunker scaryice 147 2 John Elway's Quarterback scaryice 148 1 Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine scaryice 149 10 2 California Games the wizard 666 150 6 Wurm: Journey to the Center of the Earth Gaia Gensouki 151 8 2 Spy Hunter PII 152 6 Attack of the Killer Tomatoes Gaia Gensouki 153 2 Astyanax Gloves 154 1 Mega Man 3 nerdynebraskan 155 2 Mario Bros. nerdynebraskan 156 6 1 Simpsons: Bart vs. the World PII 157 9 Prince of Persia Daniel Doyce 158 3 North and South nerdynebraskan 159 7 1 Raid on Bungeling Bay Gaia Gensouki 160 2 Guerilla War nerdynebraskan 161 7 Terminator guitarzombie 162 7 1 Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Gaia Gensouki 163 3 Bomberman II nerdynebraskan 164 2 Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout nerdynebraskan 165 1 Batman nerdynebraskan 166 1 Mighty Final Fight nerdynebraskan 167 2 Palamedes nerdynebraskan 168 2 Rescue: The Embassy Mission nerdynebraskan 169 9 2 Predator guitarzombie 170 8 Magic of Scheherazade the wizard 666 171 10 1 Shooting Range Strikezone1 172 8 2 Hudson Hawk Gaia Gensouki 173 5 Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants guitarzombie 174 1 Mega Man 4 nerdynebraskan 175 2 Paperboy nerdynebraskan 176 7 1 Thunderbirds Gaia Gensouki 177 5 Snoopy's Silly Sports Spectacular Gaia Gensouki 178 1 Felix the Cat nerdynebraskan 179 7 Top Gun Gaia Gensouki 180 9 3 Street Cop Strikezone1 181 1 Mike Tyson's Punch Out nerdynebraskan 182 1 Skate Or Die nerdynebraskan 183 2 Ski Or Die nerdynebraskan 184 3 Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters nerdynebraskan 185 2 Punisher nerdynebraskan 186 7 Young Indiana Jones Chronicles Gaia Gensouki 187 2 Adventures of Lolo nerdynebraskan 188 6 2 Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man PII 189 5 1 Swamp Thing guitarzombie 190 4 Dr. Chaos nerdynebraskan 191 3 Hatris nerdynebraskan 192 10 3 Zanac Dr. Morbis 193 6 1 Blues Brothers Gaia Gensouki 194 3 Super Jeopardy! the wizard 666 195 1 Balloon Fight Brickman 196 3 Snow Brothers guitarzombie 197 3 WrestleMania nerdynebraskan 198 4 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Ubisoft) guitarzombie 199 9 1 Dragon's Lair Gaia Gensouki 200 2 Bomberman nerdynebraskan 201 4 Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu Gaia Gensouki 202 10 4 Best of the Best: Championship Karate guitarzombie 203 2 Legend of Zelda nerdynebraskan 204 8 1 Castle of Dragon Gaia Gensouki 205 1 Mega Man 5 nerdynebraskan 206 3 Magic Darts the wizard 666 207 1 Remote Control nerdynebraskan 208 9 4 Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord DefaultGen 209 4 Metal Storm guitarzombie 210 2 Power Blade nerdynebraskan 211 5 2 Cool World PII 212 2 Pictionary nerdynebraskan 213 3 Uninvited guitarzombie 214 5 Trog nerdynebraskan 215 3 Batman Returns nerdynebraskan 216 2 Twin Eagle scaryice 217 2 Golf scaryice 218 8 Sword Master Gaia Gensouki 219 8 2 Town & Country II: Thrilla's Surfari Gaia Gensouki 220 4 2 Monster Truck Rally Gaia Gensouki 221 1 Kung Fu nerdynebraskan 222 3 Kick Master nerdynebraskan 223 2 Renegade nerdynebraskan 224 8 Ghoul School guitarzombie 225 6 1 Isolated Warrior mbd39 226 1 Deja Vu nerdynebraskan 227 3 Bigfoot nerdynebraskan 228 10 2 Uncharted Waters Daniel Doyce 229 7 3 Galaxy 5000 PII 230 4 Power Blade 2 guitarzombie 231 3 Godzilla nerdynebraskan 232 9 3 Mission: Impossible Gaia Gensouki 233 2 Super Dodge Ball nerdynebraskan 234 2 Pipe Dream nerdynebraskan 235 8 Fester's Quest guitarzombie 236 2 Wacky Races nerdynebraskan 237 3 Three Stooges the wizard 666 238 1 Fisher Price: Perfect Fit the wizard 666 239 2 Tiger-Heli scaryice 240 3 Soccer scaryice 241 4 Cyberball scaryice 242 8 1 Ninja Kid scaryice 243 1 Little Mermaid nerdynebraskan 244 4 Casino Kid 2 Strikezone1 245 7 G.I. Joe: The Atlantis Factor Jandrem 246 5 Adventures of Lolo II nerdynebraskan 247 9 Freedom Force nerdynebraskan 248 1 Marble Madness NESfiend 249 2 Anticipation nerdynebraskan 250 6 Mechanized Attack nerdynebraskan 251 2 1 Crystalis PII 252 6 Tombs & Treasure nerdynebraskan 253 3 Tale Spin scaryice 254 9 2 Wizardry: Knight of Diamonds DefaultGen 255 4 Qix scaryice 256 8 King's Quest V guitarzombie 257 3 Sqoon nerdynebraskan 258 3 Little Samson nerdynebraskan 259 3 Touchdown Fever nerdynebraskan 260 4 1 Star Wars NESfiend 261 3 Toki Gaia Gensouki 262 3 1942 scaryice 263 5 Wario's Woods nerdynebraskan 264 4 Flintstones: The Surprise at Dinosaur Peak Gaia Gensouki 265 4 1 Caveman Games the wizard 666 266 4 Flintstones Gaia Gensouki 267 8 5 Ring King TheGameDisplay 268 4 1 RoadBlasters TheGameDisplay 269 9 2 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves TheGameDisplay 270 4 Totally Rad Gaia Gensouki 271 4 Twin Cobra Gaia Gensouki 272 7 Wrecking Crew Brickman 273 7 Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom guitarzombie 274 4 Battletoads Khromak 275 7 Snake's Revenge: Metal Gear II L0neStar 276 6 1 Skate Or Die 2 nerdynebraskan 277 6 Muppet Adventure: Chaos at the Carnival Dr. Morbis 278 7 2 RoboCop 3 scaryice 279 3 Karate Kid the wizard 666 280 2 Duck Tales II Brickman 281 3 Rollerblade Racer scaryice 282 8 1 Bram Stoker's Dracula PII 283 4 1 Pinball Quest Gaia Gensouki 284 5 Hydlide Gaia Gensouki 285 8 4 LoopZ PII 286 8 4 F-15 Strike Eagle McBryce 287 5 2 Cobra Triangle mbd39 288 4 Ice Climber Brickman 289 5 Lode Runner nerdynebraskan 290 2 Blades of Steel the wizard 666 291 5 1 Rad Racer II Gaia Gensouki 292 1 Darkwing Duck nerdynebraskan 293 7 3 Times of Lore Gaia Gensouki 294 8 2 Darkman guitarzombie 295 3 Rampart nerdynebraskan 296 7 Jurassic Park Strikezone1 297 10 2 Tecmo Cup Soccer McBryce 298 6 1 Snake Rattle 'n Roll mbd39 299 7 Adventure Island Khromak 300 6 Shatterhand guitarzombie 301 4 Star Trek: 25th Anniversary nerdynebraskan 302 4 Terminator 2: Judgment Day nerdynebraskan 303 5 Life Force mbd39 304 5 Captain Skyhawk NESfiend 305 5 2 Heavy Shreddin' NESfiend 306 2 Nightmare On Elm Street, A nerdynebraskan 307 6 Goal Two NESfiend 308 4 Terra Cresta nerdynebraskan 309 5 Karate Champ NESfiend 310 1 Kid Klown in Night Mayor World nerdynebraskan 311 7 1 Blue Marlin NESfiend 312 5 1 American Gladiators NESfiend 313 9 6 Lemmings Daniel Doyce 314 2 Winter Games the wizard 666 315 3 Burgertime scaryice 316 2 Xenophobe scaryice 317 9 Conan: The Mysteries of Time guitarzombie 318 6 3 Lee Trevino's Fighting Golf NESfiend 319 1 Super C NESfiend 320 8 Adventure Island II Khromak 321 4 Legendary Wings nerdynebraskan 322 5 Heavy Barrel scaryice 323 5 1 Seicross scaryice 324 3 Tennis wongojack 325 3 Major League Baseball scaryice 326 8 1 Lethal Weapon scaryice 327 6 Mappyland the wizard 666 328 3 Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle TriHart 329 9 1 Nightshade guitarzombie 330 4 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project NESfiend 331 7 1 Golf Grand Slam NESfiend 332 4 Tecmo Bowl nerdynebraskan 333 3 Baseball Stars II nerdynebraskan 334 1 Double Dragon II: The Revenge BriGuy82 335 3 Yoshi nerdynebraskan 336 1 Jeopardy! nerdynebraskan 337 1 Jeopardy! Jr. Edition nerdynebraskan 338 9 2 Orb-3D Dr. Morbis 339 3 River City Ransom Splain 340 5 Final Fantasy L0neStar 341 7 Adventure Island III Khromak 342 6 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes Of The Lance DefaultGen 343 3 Baseball Stars nerdynebraskan 344 10 5 Might & Magic: Secret of the Inner Sanctum DefaultGen 345 2 Panic Restaurant nerdynebraskan 346 1 Dynowarz: The Destruction of Spondylus nerdynebraskan 347 6 Frankenstein: The Monster Returns guitarzombie 348 8 1 Captain Planet Khromak 349 5 2 Milon's Secret Castle PII 350 5 Little League Baseball: Championship Series nerdynebraskan 351 7 Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball NESfiend 352 2 Yoshi's Cookie nerdynebraskan 353 6 Yo! Noid nerdynebraskan 354 1 Castlevania scaryice 355 5 720* scaryice 356 8 2 Digger T. Rock: Legend of the Lost City the wizard 666 357 9 Wall Street Kid nerdynebraskan 358 8 1 Marvel's X-Men Khromak 359 10 3 Immortal Khromak 360 4 Rollerball Gaia Gensouki 361 3 Mario is Missing nerdynebraskan 362 3 Kirby's Adventure Khromak 363 6 1 Hoops NESfiend 364 2 Baseball Dr. Morbis 365 4 Dragon Spirit: The New Legend scaryice 366 6 Star Trek: The Next Generation nerdynebraskan 367 3 Rockin' Kats nerdynebraskan 368 8 3 Krusty's Funhouse Khromak 369 2 NFL Football scaryice 370 10 7 Dungeon Magic Gaia Gensouki 371 6 Zen: Intergalactic Ninja guitarzombie 372 2 Fisher Price: Firehouse Rescue Gaia Gensouki 373 6 M.U.L.E. nerdynebraskan 374 3 Gradius Gaia Gensouki 375 2 BreakThru Gaia Gensouki 376 1 Mickey's Safari in Letterland Gaia Gensouki 377 3 Image Fight Gaia Gensouki 378 3 Kid Niki Gaia Gensouki 379 6 2 Super Cars Gaia Gensouki 380 7 Jetsons: Cogswell's Caper BriGuy82 381 5 Bubble Bobble: Part 2 nerdynebraskan 382 6 Silver Surfer guitarzombie 383 3 Mario's Time Machine nerdynebraskan 384 4 Ghostbusters II nerdynebraskan 385 6 Iron Tank Gaia Gensouki 386 6 Ghostbusters Gaia Gensouki 387 4 Bad Dudes Khromak 388 7 1 Thundercade Gaia Gensouki 389 6 Wrath of the Black Manta Gaia Gensouki 390 3 Dragon Warrior Jeevan 391 4 Joust scaryice 392 5 Krion Conquest Gaia Gensouki 393 6 King's Knight Gaia Gensouki 394 9 1 L'Empereur Daniel Doyce 395 9 4 Race America Gaia Gensouki 396 5 1 Bump 'n' Jump mbd39 397 5 Gyromite nerdynebraskan 398 5 1 Untouchables scaryice 399 2 Pinball scaryice 400 9 4 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Hillsfar Daniel Doyce 401 3 Win, Lose or Draw Daniel Doyce 402 5 RBI Baseball BriGuy82 403 8 1 Section Z Gaia Gensouki 404 4 Dig Dug II nerdynebraskan 405 9 1 Tecmo Baseball Dr. Morbis 406 7 Dragon Warrior II L0neStar 407 9 6 Infiltrator PII 408 8 Toxic Crusaders guitarzombie 409 4 Alfred Chicken Daniel Doyce 410 2 Mickey's Adventures in Numberland Daniel Doyce 411 6 Cowboy Kid nerdynebraskan 412 8 1 Low G-Man guitarzombie 413 6 Rambo scaryice 414 3 Ikari Warriors III: The Rescue nerdynebraskan 415 8 3 Mighty Bomb Jack PII 416 5 Wolverine nerdynebraskan 417 10 4 Side Pocket NESfiend 418 5 Pro Sport Hockey scaryice 419 5 Rocketeer the wizard 666 420 4 Wizards & Warriors nerdynebraskan 421 7 1 Mafat Conspiracy: Golgo 13 II nerdynebraskan 422 9 2 RoboCop 2 BriGuy82 423 8 Blaster Master guitarzombie 424 7 1 Dragon Warrior III Khromak 425 8 1 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Pool of Radiance DefaultGen 426 3 Jackal mbd39 427 2 Castlevania II: Simon's Quest nerdynebraskan 428 4 Zelda II: The Adventure of Link Khromak 429 4 Elevator Action Bearcat-Doug 430 4 Excitebike Bearcat-Doug 431 3 1 Pro Wrestling Bearcat-Doug 432 3 Rad Racer Bearcat-Doug 433 2 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game Bearcat-Doug 434 9 2 Ultima: Exodus Jandrem 435 3 Contra Force Khromak 436 7 1 Deadly Towers Khromak 437 7 1 Clash at Demonhead nerdynebraskan 438 9 1 8 Eyes Khromak 439 5 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Taito) Bearcat-Doug 440 5 Ivan "Iron Man" Stewart's Super Off-Road Bearcat-Doug 441 4 Rush 'n Attack Bearcat-Doug 442 9 Ren & Stimpy Show: Buckaroo$ Khromak 443 3 Target: Renegade Bearcat-Doug 444 8 Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six BriGuy82 445 8 1 Volleyball the wizard 666 446 10 6 F-117A Stealth Fighter McBryce 447 6 Space Shuttle Project Jeevan 448 5 1 Ms. Pac Man Bearcat-Doug 449 4 Abadox T-Pac 450 2 Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stone PII 451 6 Paperboy 2 nerdynebraskan 452 3 Back to the Future PII 453 10 3 Pirates DefaultGen 454 4 Roundball: 2 on 2 Challenge the wizard 666 455 8 Magician nerdynebraskan 456 9 6 Motor City Patrol DefaultGen 457 9 4 KlashBall Tablew/chairs 458 3 R.C. Pro-Am MegaMan52 459 9 1 NES Open Tournament Golf NESfiend 460 7 Adventures of Lolo III Khromak 461 4 NARC scaryice 462 4 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters MegaMan52 463 9 3 Solstice Khromak 464 5 Monster Party MegaMan52 465 5 Tiny Toon Adventures Khromak 466 7 Fist of the North Star NESfiend 467 8 3 Power Punch II BriGuy82 468 2 Rygar nerdynebraskan 469 3 Tiny Toon Adventures 2: Trouble in Wackyland MegaMan52 470 10 7 Battle Tank DefaultGen 471 5 1 R.C. Pro-Am II NESfiend 472 5 Baseball Simulator 1.000 scaryice 473 3 Gyruss scaryice 474 10 3 Bandit Kings of Ancient China the wizard 666 475 5 Superman nerdynebraskan 476 5 Kickle Cubicle nerdynebraskan 477 4 Gunsmoke PII 478 2 Monster in My Pocket guitarzombie 479 8 1 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonstrike Dr. Morbis 480 4 Bucky O'Hare guitarzombie 481 8 1 Fun House DefaultGen 482 4 Super Pitfall guitarzombie 483 5 Alien 3 nerdynebraskan 484 5 Karnov guitarzombie 485 5 Fire 'N Ice Khromak 486 8 6 George Foreman's KO Boxing McBryce 487 4 Bandai Golf: Challenge Pebble Beach DefaultGen 488 10 4 Metal Mech Gaia Gensouki 489 4 1 Kid Icarus Strikezone1 490 6 Who Framed Roger Rabbit? nerdynebraskan 491 2 Ghosts 'N Goblins PII 492 8 1 Tecmo World Wrestling Bearcat-Doug 493 7 Clu Clu Land BriGuy82 494 4 Vice: Project Doom PII 495 4 Rampage PII 496 5 Cabal Tablew/chairs 497 5 Tecmo NBA Basketball scaryice 498 7 Guardian Legend guitarzombie 499 9 2 Mystery Quest Khromak 500 6 3 Empire Strikes Back NESfiend 501 5 Metroid Bearcat-Doug 502 6 1 Eliminator Boat Duel NESfiend 503 7 Battleship McBryce 504 7 1 Goal scaryice 505 7 2 Smash T.V. Khromak 506 7 Gauntlet II Dr. Morbis & the wizard 666 507 7 1 Stanley and the Search for Dr. Livingston guitarzombie 508 5 1 Ultimate Basketball scaryice 509 9 1 Chubby Cherub scaryice 510 4 Track & Field the wizard 666 511 9 3-D Worldrunner Khromak 512 8 3 Castelian guitarzombie 513 6 3 Castlequest Khromak 514 8 Goonies II guitarzombie 515 1 Puss 'N Boots: Pero's Great Adventure nerdynebraskan 516 10 3 Destiny of an Emperor Gaia Gensouki 517 7 1 Kiwi Kraze Khromak 518 7 IronSword: Wizards and Warriors II BriGuy82 519 6 Adventures of Gilligan's Island the wizard 666 520 8 Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II Gaia Gensouki 521 6 2 Demon Sword Gaia Gensouki 522 6 Burai Fighter guitarzombie 523 4 Ninja Crusaders nerdynebraskan 524 9 2 Star Voyager bronzeshield 525 6 Bubble Bobble Khromak 526 6 Gremlins 2: The New Batch Khromak 527 9 3 Break Time: The National Pool Tour NESfiend 528 5 1 Stinger scaryice 529 7 Commando scaryice 530 5 Casino Kid nerdynebraskan 531 6 Incredible Crash Dummies Khromak 532 8 1 Legends of the Diamond Dr. Morbis 533 6 Code Name: Viper nerdynebraskan 534 5 P.O.W.: Prisoners of War Bearcat-Doug 535 8 2 Legacy of the Wizard Khromak 536 5 1 Super Spy Hunter Gaia Gensouki 537 8 2 Swords and Serpents Gaia Gensouki 538 9 1 Puzznic Khromak 539 4 1 Pinbot scaryice 540 7 Bad News Baseball NESfiend 541 7 Jack Nicklaus' Major Championship Golf NESfiend 542 6 Circus Caper Dr. Morbis 543 9 M.C. Kids Khromak 544 9 5 Thunder & Lightning Tablew/chairs 545 6 1 Werewolf: The Last Warrior Jandrem 546 5 Xexyz nerdynebraskan 547 10 2 Crash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge scaryice 548 6 Arkista's Ring nerdynebraskan 549 8 Willow Jeevan 550 7 Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team Khromak 551 5 Adventures of Tom Sawyer Gaia Gensouki 552 6 1 Silent Service nerdynebraskan 553 10 2 Mutant Virus guitarzombie 554 8 Nobunaga's Ambition Daniel Doyce 555 3 Dragon Fighter nerdynebraskan 556 9 4 Defenders of Dynatron City guitarzombie 557 9 1 Lone Ranger McBryce 558 7 Cobra Command nerdynebraskan 559 7 1 Day Dreamin' Davey Gaia Gensouki 560 8 Adventures of Rad Gravity guitarzombie 561 6 StarTropics Khromak 562 10 1 Ultima: Quest of the Avatar Khromak 563 9 4 Tetris 2 TriHart 564 7 1 Legend of Ghost Lion Jeevan 565 9 6 Treasure Master Tablew/chairs 566 8 2 Robowarrior nerdynebraskan 567 7 1 Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road Gaia Gensouki 568 10 2 Jimmy Connors Pro Tennis Tour Gaia Gensouki 569 9 NES Play Action Football nerdynebraskan 570 7 Mendel Palace TriHart 571 10 5 Evert & Lendl Top Player's Tennis scaryice 572 8 Beetlejuice nerdynebraskan 573 9 1 Battle of Olympus Khromak 574 8 4 Lunar Pool Daniel Doyce 575 6 Shadow of the Ninja PII 576 5 Trojan scaryice 577 9 1 Airwolf Gaia Gensouki 578 10 5 Ultimate Air Combat guitarzombie 579 8 3 World Championship Wrestling scaryice 580 9 3 Wizards & Warriors III Tablew/chairs 581 8 Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode Khromak 582 6 1943 Gaia Gensouki 583 7 Rainbow Islands Khromak 584 9 Nintendo World Cup Soccer scaryice 585 8 5 Days of Thunder Gaia Gensouki 586 6 Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight Gaia Gensouki 587 10 6 Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship arnpoly 588 10 2 Bill & Ted's Excellent Video Game Adventure Tablew/chairs 589 7 3 Dirty Harry: The War Against Drugs Gaia Gensouki 590 9 1 Tom & Jerry Tablew/chairs 591 9 3 Nobunaga's Ambition II Daniel Doyce 592 7 Dragon Warrior IV Gaia Gensouki 593 9 2 Conflict nerdynebraskan 594 10 3 Black Bass Gaia Gensouki 595 7 2 Faria: A World of Mystery & Danger Khromak 596 10 4 Gumshoe nerdynebraskan 597 10 7 Destination Earth Star BriGuy82 598 8 3 Air Fortress Gaia Gensouki 599 2 Adventures of Bayou Billy mbd39 600 6 Conquest of the Crystal Palace Khromak 601 9 3 Mad Max Gaia Gensouki 602 10 4 Short Order/Eggsplode nerdynebraskan 603 8 1 World Class Track Meet nerdynebraskan 604 8 4 Dragon Power Gaia Gensouki 605 6 Faxanadu Khromak 606 6 Greg Norman's Golf Power Gaia Gensouki 607 10 4 Super Team Games nerdynebraskan 608 10 5 Athletic World nerdynebraskan 609 10 5 Last Starfighter guitarzombie 610 8 Tag Team Wrestling nerdynebraskan 611 2 Rollergames mbd39 612 7 2 Hook Gaia Gensouki 613 10 3 Shingen the Ruler Daniel Doyce 614 10 4 Bases Loaded II: Second Season NESfiend 615 10 7 Flight of the Intruder BriGuy82 616 10 4 Solomon's Key Tablew/chairs 617 7 2 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Gaia Gensouki 618 9 Peter Pan & the Pirates Gaia Gensouki 619 8 2 Mach Rider BriGuy82 620 8 3 High Speed BriGuy82 621 7 1 Bard's Tale Khromak 622 10 1 Bo Jackson Baseball BriGuy82 623 9 7 Flying Warriors Gaia Gensouki 624 10 2 Alpha Mission BriGuy82 625 4 Little Nemo: The Dream Master Gaia Gensouki 626 10 5 Rock 'n Ball Tablew/chairs 627 6 1 Legend of Kage Gaia Gensouki 628 9 3 Boulder Dash Khromak 629 10 4 All Pro Basketball nerdynebraskan 630 9 4 Formula 1: Built to Win Gaia Gensouki 631 6 2 Bad Street Brawler mbd39 632 10 2 Ferrari Grand Prix Challenge Gaia Gensouki 633 10 4 Ultima: Warriors of Destiny Daniel Doyce 634 10 4 Flying Dragon: The Secret Scroll Gaia Gensouki 635 10 3 Gold Medal Challenge '92 Gaia Gensouki 636 8 James Bond Jr. Khromak 637 7 Jungle Book Khromak 638 9 5 Little Ninja Brothers nerdynebraskan 639 10 5 Back to the Future II & III Khromak 640 10 3 Kid Kool Gaia Gensouki 641 9 3 Romance of the Three Kingdoms Daniel Doyce 642 10 4 Bases Loaded III McBryce 643 10 3 Racket Attack Khromak 644 10 4 Silkworm Tablew/chairs 645 9 Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego? Daniel Doyce 646 8 1 Super Spike V'Ball nerdynebraskan 647 9 4 Laser Invasion Tablew/chairs 648 10 5 Track & Field II Gaia Gensouki 649 10 2 Starship Hector BriGuy82 650 10 3 Romance of the Three Kingdoms II Daniel Doyce 651 9 2 Gauntlet scaryice 652 9 2 Kings of the Beach Tablew/chairs 653 10 5 Super Glove Ball scaryice 654 10 5 Sky Kid TheGameDisplay 655 8 3 Slalom TheGameDisplay 656 8 4 Time Lord scaryice 657 8 Captain America and the Avengers nerdynebraskan 658 10 2 Roger Clemens' MVP Baseball nerdynebraskan 659 10 5 Bases Loaded IV McBryce 660 10 3 Bases Loaded Daniel Doyce ...

Here's the list of games which will change by 2+ points for 2024: +3 2024 2023 8 5 Athena +2 2024 2023 4 2 Adventures of Dino Riki 9 7 Arkanoid 7 5 Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team 9 7 Conan: The Mysteries of Time 7 5 Die Hard 9 7 Gemfire 9 7 Ikari Warriors 7 5 Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road 7 5 Jack Nicklaus' Major Championship Golf 7 5 Last Action Hero 9 7 M.C. Kids 10 8 Mutant Virus 8 6 Nobunaga's Ambition 9 7 Nobunaga's Ambition II 9 7 Predator 10 8 Shooting Range 8 6 Slalom 8 6 Spy Hunter 10 8 Star Force 6 4 Star Trek: The Next Generation 9 7 Star Voyager 10 8 Starship Hector 8 6 World Games 7 5 Xevious -2 2024 2023 5 7 Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle and Friends 6 8 Castlequest 5 7 Defender of the Crown 5 7 Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde 6 8 Goal Two 7 9 Golf Grand Slam 5 7 Heavy Shreddin' 8 10 Hudson Hawk 5 7 Hydlide 7 9 Phantom Fighter 4 6 Pinball Quest 5 7 Pro Sport Hockey 5 7 Strider 6 8 Super Cars 7 9 Times of Lore 6 8 Total Recall 4 6 Track & Field 8 10 World Class Track Meet -3 2024 2023 6 9 Werewolf: The Last Warrior

That's what I'm planning to do. I guess I'll bring back the pain points too, since hopefully that will inspire people to beat some of the harder games. Looks like we'll end the year with 600 licensed games beaten. Not too close to finishing the library, but it's much better than last year's 564.

This week's result: Question #24 (12/21-12/27) - When it comes to co-op, what game comes to mind? 1 Twinbee 19.2 2 Mario Bros. 18.6 3 Ice Climber 9.9 4 Konami Wai Wai World 4.5 5 River City Ransom 4.1 6 Kunio-kun no Jidaigeki Dayo Zenin Shuugou 3.6 7 Balloon Fight 2.3 8 Battle City 2.2 9 Contra 2.2 10 Binary Land 1.8 11 Clu Clu Land 1.8 12 Sky Kid 1.6 13 Stinger 1.5 14 Kung Fu Heroes 1.2 15 Double Dragon II 1.1 16 Erika to Satoru no Yume Bouken 1.1 17 Tag Team Pro Wrestling 1.0 18 Tennis 0.9 19 Ganbare Goemon 2 0.9 20 Ikki 0.8 Very close finish between Twinbee and Mario Bros. for the top slot. It's always interesting to think about how the Japanese fans had two years with the Famicom before Super Mario Bros. came out, so the orginal arcade Mario Bros. gets way more recognition over there. Next week's question: When it comes to dragons, what game comes to mind? Gee, I wonder what games will finish at the top? Though, they do specifically include the kanji as well as the katakana spelling - 龍/竜/ドラゴン, so expect to see stuff like Ninja Gaiden as well.

I've just been using the western names for games released over here.

This week's result: Question #23 (12/14-12/20) - When it comes to blue carts, what game comes to mind? 1 Baseball 14.9 2 Star Force 12.8 3 Mega Man 9.2 4 Devil World 5.3 5 Ice Climber 5.0 6 Urban Champion 3.7 7 Saint Seiya: Ougon Densetsu 3.7 8 Mach Rider 2.7 9 Life Force 2.1 10 Higemaru Makaijima 2.1 11 Mississippi Satsujin Jiken 2.1 12 Nuts & Milk 2.0 13 Joy Mech Fight 1.7 13 Dragon Power 1.7 15 Ginga no Sannin 1.5 15 Spy vs Spy 1.5 17 Dough Boy 1.4 18 Golf 1.2 19 Heracles no Eikou 1.2 20 Saint Seiya: Ougon Densetsu Kanketsu-hen 1.1 20 Magical Taruruuto-kun 1.1 Close contest, but Baseball came out on top. All of the old black box titles placed highly, since they're so well known. I was expecting Golf to be higher, but I guess it's more green than blue. That didn't stop Life Force (Salamander) from a top ten finish, though. Next week's question: When it comes to co-op, what game comes to mind? Contra would probably be the answer for many NES fans, but I noticed a lot of Japanese fans saying Twinbee, so maybe that'll be on top.

This week's result: Question #22 (12/7-12/13) - When it comes to tricks/cheats, what comes to mind? 1 Gradius 42.2 2 Super Mario Bros. 15.1 3 Xevious 5.5 4 Suishou no Dragon 5.1 5 Dragon Quest IV 2.9 6 Mega Man 3 1.7 7 Dragon Quest III 1.6 8 Super Mario Bros. 3 1.5 9 Tower of Druaga 1.4 10 Dragon Quest II 1.4 11 Star Soldier 1.3 12 Doraemon 1.2 13 Kunio-kun no Jidaigeki Dayo Zenin Shuugou 1.1 13 Final Fantasy III 1.1 15 Challenger 1.0 16 Lode Runner 0.9 17 Erika to Satoru no Yume Bouken 0.5 17 Star Force 0.5 19 Atlantis no Nazo 0.5 20 F1 Race 0.5 Not surprised by the Gradius win, but I am surprised that there's no Contra in the top 20. I know it's not nearly as popular in Japan, but to not make the list at all... Mega Man 3 is there as Link suggested, though. Nice call! Funny to see Erika to Satoru no Yume Bouken, since it's known solely these days for the secret message hidden in there. Next week's question: When it comes to blue carts, what game comes to mind? We're getting all the color questions eventually, so this week it's time for blue. Baseball, Devil World, Golf, Rockman, Saint Seiya, Star Force... Let's see... Since Golf is kind of greenish, Baseball might have a path to victory. It's very very common, so it might beat out Rockman even though not many people actually care about the game itself these days.

Forgot to post last week, so now we have two results to talk about: Question #20 (11/23-11/29) - When it comes to "puzzle games", what comes to mind? 1 Tetris 21.0 2 Dr. Mario 15.3 3 Solomon's Key 6.0 4 Babel no Tou 5.9 5 Flappy 5.0 6 Kineko 4.5 7 Yoshi's Cookie 4.3 8 Lode Runner 3.6 9 Yoshi 3.3 10 Namida no Soukoban Special 3.1 11 Puyo Puyo 2.5 12 Championship Lode Runner 2.1 13 Tetris 2 + Bombliss 1.9 14 Quarth 1.6 15 Wario's Woods 1.5 16 Flipull 1.2 17 Wrecking Crew 1.1 18 Mendel Palace 0.9 19 Binary Land 0.7 20 Clu Clu Land 0.7 Top two as expected. The Famicom BPS Tetris is really bad, so we definitely got the better release overseas. I thought Lode Runner would be a bit higher. Wrecking Crew is a great game, but it doesn't seem to get much respect in Japan either. That's a shame... Question #21 (11/30-12/6) - When it comes to "a good instruction manual", what comes to mind? 1 Legend of Zelda 9.6 2 Dragon Quest III 8.6 3 Super Mario Bros. 4.9 4 Kaijuu Monogatari 4.9 5 Super Mario Bros. 3 4.3 6 Dragon Quest II 3.7 7 Mother 3.7 8 Dragon Quest 3.3 9 Dragon Quest IV 2.6 10 Metal Slader Glory 2.1 11 Kieta Princess 1.6 12 Suishou no Dragon 1.5 13 Genpei Touma Den 1.4 14 Valkyrie no Bouken 1.1 15 Commando 1.1 16 Kirby's Adventure 1.1 17 Bokosuka Wars 1.1 18 Final Fantasy III 1.0 18 Zelda 2 1.0 20 Momotarou Densetsu 0.8 20 Mega Man 0.8 20 Mega Man 2 0.8 This was interesting, since I have very little experience with Japanese manuals. Kaijuu Montogari being third was a surprise. The manual doesn't look too special, but maybe the voters are counting the whole package. I know Namco went all out for the packaging for that game and Juvei Quest (both rpgs). I think Zelda 1 might win the NES equivalent of this poll, as well. Next week's question: When it comes to tricks/cheats, what comes to mind? Surely Contra would win the NES version of this poll? I think Gradius is a more likely first place choice over there, though.

Latest results: Question #19 (11/16-11/22) - When it comes to "tag", what game comes to mind?? 1 MUSCLE 42.2 2 Tag Team Pro Wrestling 24.9 3 Ice Climber 3.6 4 Mario Bros. 3.1 5 Twinbee 2.9 6 River City Ransom 1.9 7 Nekketsu Kakutou Densetsu 1.8 8 Binary Land 1.6 9 Double Dragon 1.5 10 Duck Hunt 1.3 11 Contra 0.9 12 Hana no Star Kaidou 0.7 13 Kunio-kun no Jidaigeki Dayo Zenin Shuugou 0.6 14 Mickey Mousecapade 0.5 15 Double Dragon II 0.5 16 Batsu & Terii 0.5 17 Konami Wai Wai World 0.4 17 Kung Fu Heroes 0.4 19 Tennis 0.4 20 Duck Tales 0.3 20 Mississippi Satsujin Jiken 0.3 As expected, the top two wrestling games dominated the poll, with many of the others featuring two characters working together or simultaneous two player action. The presence of the two duck games seems to be because the katakana are similar for tag and duck (タッグ vs ダック). I was gonna predict Hana no Star Kaidou last week, but I wasn't sure it was well known enough to be on there. It's a platformer with really bad controls, where you control two guys at once. Just imagine Mickey Mousecapade with a lot more pits and precision. Next week's question: When it comes to "puzzle games", what comes to mind?? Surely Tetris and Dr. Mario at the top. I guess Lode Runner is a puzzle game, so that will probably be high too.

I know, I wish they had more gameplay related questions.

Latest results: Question #18 (11/9-11/15) - When it comes to "5 character titles" what game comes to mind? 1 Metroid 17.0 2 Doraemon 7.9 3 Pac-Man 7.1 4 Goonies 6.0 5 Twinbee 5.7 6 Ninja Gaiden 5.2 7 Castlevania III 3.7 8 Mega Man 3.2 9 Genpei Touma Den 3.2 10 Dig Dug 3.1 11 Mendel Palace 2.5 12 Pinball 2.3 13 Youkai Douchuuki 2.0 14 Nazo no Murasame-jou 1.8 15 Touhou Kenbun Roku 1.8 16 Romancia 1.6 17 Life Force 1.5 18 Ghosts 'n Goblins 1.3 19 Momotarou Densetsu 1.1 20 TMNT 1.0 Metroid ended up winning easily. Funny that Life Force and Ghosts 'n Goblins are not 5 character titles but made it anyway. You always see a few weird results near the bottom. I guess if you spell them out and don't use the normal kanji titles, they would qualify then. Next week's question: When it comes to "tag", what game comes to mind? The obvious choices are Tag Team Pro Wrestling and MUSCLE (full Japanese title: Kinnikuman: MUSCLE Tag Match). It'll be interesting to see what other stuff makes it - maybe games where you two characters working together, like Binary Land.

Here's the latest poll result: Question #17 (11/2-11/8) - When it comes to "I learned a lot," what game comes to mind? 1 Popeye no Eigo Asobi 9.7 2 Donkey Kong Jr. Math 9.3 3 Super Mototarou Dentetsu 9.2 4 Momotarou Dentetsu 8.8 5 Nobunaga's Ambition 5.9 6 Dragon Quest III 2.5 7 Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2.1 8 Mahjong 1.8 9 Nobunaga's Ambition II 1.7 10 Nobunaga no Yabou: Bushou Fuuunroku 1.5 11 Dragon Quest 1.2 12 Sansuu 1 Nen: Keisan Game 1.2 12 Mindseeker 1.2 12 Family Mahjong 1.2 15 Okhotsuku ni Kiyu 1.1 15 Wagyan Land 1.1 17 Matsumoto Tooru no Kabushiki Hisshou Gaku 1.0 18 Sangokushi: Chuugen no Hasha 0.9 18 4-nin Uchi Mahjong 0.9 20 Time Twist 0.9 This is the closest result yet, with the Popeye English game beating out Nintendo's other educational release. Although, if the Momotarou Dentetsu vote wasn't split, either of those could've ended up first. The Switch version is super popular in Japan, BTW - it's sold 4 million copies. You can also see the third Nobunaga game, plus one of Namco's Romance of the Three Kingdoms games - both of which we didn't get. No Family BASIC - I don't think it's part of Nintendo's database on their web site, actually. Maybe they classify it more as an accessory or something. Next week's question: When it comes to "5 character titles" what game comes to mind? That would be characters as in letters or kanji, not game characters. So that's not the most interesting question, plus you can't really speculate unless you look at the Japanese spellings of everything. People on Twitter were saying Doraemon, Mega Man, and Metroid.

Here's the latest poll result: Question #16 (10/26-11/1) - When it comes to ghosts (obake), what game comes to mind? 1 Chubby Cherub 37.9 2 Spelunker 20.9 3 Super Mario Bros. 3 7.4 4 Ghostbusters 6.5 5 Ninja Kid 3.6 6 Ninja Jajamaru-kun 3.1 7 Sweet Home 2.7 8 Youkai Douchuuki 2.1 9 Pac-Man 1.3 10 Ninja Hattori-kun 1.1 11 Kiki Kaikai 1.1 12 Chiisana Obake: Acchi Socchi Kocchi 1.0 13 Famicom Detective Club (part 2) 0.8 14 Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti 0.7 14 Ghosts 'n Goblins 0.7 16 Ikki 0.6 17 Youkai Club 0.5 18 Mito Koumon 0.4 18 Doraemon 0.4 20 New Ghostbusters 2 0.4 As mentioned above, the Japanese name for Chubby Cherub has obake in the title (Obake no Q-Tarou), so it was a predictable result. The first time I remember seeing the word obake in English was playing Final Fantasy Legend 2 (aka Saga 2) on the Gameboy. Of course, I had no idea what it meant back then, and I pronounced it wrong as well (same story for words like Gaiden and Kage). Japan loves Spelunker, so I should've guessed that would do well with the ghost that relentlessly pursues you throughout the mine. A strong second place showing. Next week's question: When it comes to "I learned a lot," what game comes to mind? This is an interesting because there's not an obvious answer. Some people on Twitter were saying educational games or Family BASIC, but those weren't exactly popular.

Here's the latest poll result: Question #15 (10/19-10/25) - When it comes to Kanji-only titles, what game comes to mind? 1 Life Force 12.5 2 Ghosts 'n Goblins 8.5 3 Getsu Fuuma Den 8.3 4 Ninja Gaiden 8.2 5 Contra 6.8 6 Mahjong 5.1 7 Ikari Warriors 4.1 8 Genpei Touma Den 3.7 9 Tantei Jinguuji Saburou (FDS) 3.3 10 Castlevania III 3.3 11 Touhou Kenbun Roku 2.7 12 Youkai Douchuuki 2.3 13 Kiki Kaikai 2.1 14 Hon Shougi 2.1 15 Romance of the Three Kingdoms 1.9 16 Milon's Secret Castle 1.7 17 Saint Seiya: Ougon Densetsu 1.5 18 TMNT 1.3 19 Saint Seiya: Ougon Densetsu Kanketsu-hen 1.2 19 Deadly Towers 1.2 A bit surprised GNG wasn't first, but I mentioned five out of the top six so it was quite predictable in the end. Next week's question: When it comes to ghosts (obake), what game comes to mind? Clearly this poll is rigged for Obake no Q-Tarou (Chubby Cherub). The only other game with Obake in the title is Chiisana Obake: Acchi Socchi Kocchi, which is very obscure and nobody played. I'm guessing stuff like Gegege no Kitarou (Ninja Kid) will do well. dfs

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New Result: Question #14 (10/12-10/18) - When it comes to passwords, what game comes to mind? 1 Dragon Quest II 48.8 2 Dragon Quest 10.6 3 Mega Man 2 3.3 4 Konami Wai Wai World 2.4 5 Momotarou Densetsu 2.3 6 Saint Seiya: Ougon Densetsu 2.2 7 Haja no Fuuin 2.1 8 Bomberman 1.2 9 Captain Tsubasa 1.1 10 Dragon Quest III 1.0 10 Takeshi no Chousenjou 1.0 12 Championship Lode Runner 0.9 13 Sanma no Mei Tantei 0.9 13 Touhou Kenbun Roku 0.9 15 Megami Tensei 0.8 16 Captain Tsubasa II 0.8 17 Hydlide 0.8 18 Famicom Jump 0.7 18 Valkyrie no Bouken 0.7 20 Heracles no Eikou 0.6 20 Metal Slader Glory 0.6 I guess DQ2 was a longer game with a longer password, so that's why it's first instead of the original. Next week's question: When it comes to Kanji-only titles, what game comes to mind? Let's see... Makaimura (GNG) and Getsu Fuuma Den, maybe? Contra and Salamander (Life Force) are spelled with only Kanji as well. Maybe just plain old Mahjong too.

New result: Question #13 (10/5-10/11) - When it comes to a good protagonist, what game comes to mind? 1 Super Mario Bros. 6.8 2 Dragon Quest III 6.2 3 Metroid 5.1 4 Dragon Quest IV 5.1 5 Legend of Zelda 4.3 6 Kirby's Adventure 3.4 7 Spelunker 2.9 8 Mother 2.8 9 Fire Emblem 2.6 10 Ninja Gaiden 2.5 11 Valkyrie no Bouken 2.4 12 Famicom Detective Club (part 1) 1.6 13 Shin Onigashima 1.6 14 Mega Man 1.6 15 Shadowgate 1.5 16 Ganbare Goemon 1.5 16 Super Mario Bros. 3 1.4 18 Castlevania 1.2 19 Final Fantasy II 1.1 20 River City Ransom 1.1 20 Adventure Island 1.1 Interesting to see Metroid so high in a Japanese poll. Spelunker's hero is kind of famous for being so weak. I'm guessing Shadowgate is there for a similar reason, as I wouldn't have guessed that making it. I wouldn't have predicted Valkyrie either, but I guess the arcade sequel was quite popular. If this was a western poll, I think the Legend of Zelda would've won just because of Link's popularity (he always won the Gamefaqs character battles). This week's question is, When it comes to passwords, what game comes to mind? Spoiler: it'll probably be Dragon Quest. I'm sure Metroid would win an similar poll for the NES.

The results for the latest question were just posted today. Looks like they're gonna be doing a question for each color: Question #12 (9/28-10/4) - When it comes to black carts, what game comes to mind? 1 Dragon Quest III 20.5 2 Dragon Quest 12.0 3 Bomberman 7.9 4 Raid on Bungeling Bay 7.1 5 Star Soldier 6.3 6 Wizardry 2.5 7 Dragon Quest IV 2.4 8 Gomoku Narabe Renju 1.8 9 Xevious 1.8 10 Ghosts 'n Goblins 1.4 11 Dragon Quest II 1.3 12 Gachapon Senshi 2 1.2 13 Famicom Jump 1.2 14 Legend of Kage 1.1 15 Fire Emblem 1.1 16 Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken 1.1 17 Okhotsuku ni Kiyu 1.0 18 Gradius 1.0 19 Bases Loaded 0.9 20 Transformers: Convoy no Nazo 0.6 Couple interesting things here. You can continue to see how big of a hit Bungeling Bay was over there, since it seems to be well remembered. And of course, Dragon Quest gets all four entries in the top 11. Bases Loaded at 19 is neat, since it was also #2 in the red cart poll. That's because even though the vast majority of the carts were red, there's a black variant that exists as well. The current question is for this week is, When it comes to a good protagonist, what game comes to mind?

All of the top ten for the mystery question have "nazo" in the title or subtitle, except for Portopia. The Japanese subtitle for Mega Man 2 is "The Mystery of Dr. Wily." It should say Castlevania 1 for the second entry on the BGM question, my bad. "Adventure game" would refer to graphic adventure or visual novel type games (like Shadowgate), rather than action-based games. Other than Zelda, all the answers there are that style.

It's because Zombie Hunter was published by a company named "Hi Score", and the first thing you hear powering up the cart is a voice saying that.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Famicom in July, Nintendo has been holding a "Famicom National Referendum" (ファミコン国民投票). It's basically a survey of the Japanese fans, with a new question every week. I thought it would be fun to share the results here in English, to see how their experiences differed from ours. Results Famicom40th Twitter Question #1 (7/15-7/19) - What was the first game you bought (or had someone buy for you)? 1 Super Mario Bros. 14.4 2 Mario Bros. 9.2 3 Super Mario Bros. 3 3.5 4 Donkey Kong 3.0 5 Baseball 3.0 6 Xevious 2.1 7 Dragon Quest III 2.0 7 Kirby's Adventure 2.0 9 Excitebike 1.9 10 Donkey Kong Jr. 1.8 11 Lode Runner 1.6 12 Popeye 1.5 13 Kung Fu 1.5 14 F1 Race 1.5 15 Ice Climber 1.4 16 Clu Clu Land 1.2 17 Dragon Quest 1.2 18 Devil World 1.0 19 Mappy 0.9 20 Pinball 0.9 Question #2 (7/20-7/26) - When it comes to high scores, what game comes to mind? 1 Star Soldier 30.2 2 Zombie Hunter 18.7 3 Xevious 8.5 4 Star Force 7.8 5 Gradius 3.4 6 Super Mario Bros. 2.1 7 Tetris 1.9 8 Pinball 1.8 9 Twinbee 1.7 10 Mario Bros. 1.4 11 Balloon Fight 1.3 12 Dr. Mario 1.0 13 Starship Hector 0.8 14 Galaga 0.7 15 Bomberman 0.5 16 Super Mario Bros. 3 0.5 16 Yoshi 0.5 18 Pac-Man 0.5 19 Ice Climber 0.5 20 Donkey Kong 0.5 Question #3 (7/27-8/2) - When it comes to red carts, what game comes to mind? 1 Mother 16.0 2 Bases Loaded 15.1 3 Excite Bike 14.3 4 MUSCLE 13.9 5 Donkey Kong 13.1 6 Mega Man 2 6.3 7 Ninja-kun: Majou no Bouken 3.8 8 Robowarrior 2.0 9 Captain Tsubasa 1.5 10 Adventures of Dino-Riki 1.5 11 Captain Tsubasa II 1.4 12 Ninja Jajamaru-kun 1.1 13 Donkey Kong 3 0.9 14 Son Son 0.8 15 Donald Land 0.6 16 Lot Lot 0.6 17 Renegade 0.5 18 Super Mario Bros. 0.4 19 Puss in Boots (JP) 0.4 20 Zoids 0.3 Question #4 (8/3-8/9) - When it comes to competing against someone, what game comes to mind? 1 Mario Bros. 19.2 2 Downtown Nekketsu Koushinkyoku 13.9 3 RBI Baseball 9.9 4 Joy Mech Fight 5.2 5 Urban Champion 5.1 6 Ice Climber 4.7 7 Balloon Fight 4.6 8 Spy vs Spy 4.1 9 MUSCLE 3.6 10 Super Dodge Ball 2.8 11 Dr. Mario 2.3 12 Baseball 1.2 13 Musashi no Ken 1.2 14 Yie Ar Kung Fu 0.9 15 Gachapon Senshi 2 0.9 16 Keru Naguuru 0.8 17 Tennis 0.8 18 Super Mario Bros. 3 0.7 19 Bomberman 0.6 20 Yoshi's Cookie 0.6 Question #5 (8/10-8/16) - When it comes to using the mic, what game comes to mind? 1 Takeshi no Chousenjou 33.8 2 Raid on Bungeling Bay 24.7 3 Doraemon 18.5 4 Legend of Zelda 7.7 5 Kamen Rider Club 3.4 6 Star Luster 1.6 7 Kirby's Adventure 1.1 8 Star Soldier 0.9 8 Kid Icarus 0.9 10 Bakushou Jinsei Gekijou 0.8 11 Super Dodge Ball 0.5 12 Bakushou Jinsei Gekijou 2 0.5 13 Doraemon: Gigazombie no Gyakushuu 0.4 14 Karaoke Studio 0.3 15 Tag Team Pro Wrestling 0.3 16 Ganbare Goemon 2 0.3 17 Mike Tyson's Punch Out 0.2 18 Knight Gundam Monogatari 0.2 19 Atlantis no Nazo 0.2 19 Gradius 0.2 Question #6 (8/17-8/23) - When it comes to sports games, what comes to mind? 1 RBI Baseball 22.5 2 Hyper Olympic 16.1 3 Tennis 6.4 4 Baseball 5.7 5 Super Dodge Ball 5.4 6 Bases Loaded 4.1 7 Golf 3.6 8 Downtown Nekketsu Koushinkyoku 2.6 9 Volleyball 2.1 10 Soccer 1.6 11 Captain Tsubasa 1.5 12 Athletic World 1.3 13 Jumbo Ozaki no Hole in One Professional 1.3 14 Captain Tsubasa II 1.3 15 Excitebike 1.2 16 Famista 89 1.2 17 Ice Hockey 1.2 18 Pro Yakyuu Family Stadium 87 1.1 19 NES Open Tournament Golf 1.0 20 Family Tennis 1.0 Question #7 (8/24-8/30) - When it comes to white carts, what game comes to mind? 1 Doraemon 21.5 2 Final Fantasy III 7.0 3 Balloon Fight 6.7 4 Final Fantasy 5.7 5 Dr. Mario 5.6 6 Ikki 5.6 7 Adventure Island 5.2 8 Donkey Kong Jr. 5.0 9 Championship Lode Runner 3.0 10 Atlantis no Nazo 2.7 11 Hydlide 2.4 12 Momotarou Densetsu 2.1 13 Spelunker 2.0 14 Final Fantasy II 1.8 15 Pooyan 1.2 16 Zenou Senkan Galg 1.2 17 Thexder 1.0 18 Ninja Gaiden 0.9 19 Fantasy Zone 0.9 20 Mickey Mousecapades 0.9 Question #8 (8/31-9/6) - When it comes to mystery (nazo in Japanese), what game comes to mind? 1 Atlantis no Nazo 32.2 2 Transformers: Convoy no Nazo 19.4 3 Nazo no Murasame-jou 14.8 4 Super Xevious: Gump no Nazo 5.1 5 Dragon Power 4.2 6 Nazo no Kabe: Block Kuzushi 4.1 7 Mega Man 2 3.6 8 Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken 2.3 9 Nazoler Land 1.9 10 Pocket Zaurus 1.8 11 Legend of Zelda 1.6 12 Sanma no Meitantei 1.2 13 Famicom Detective Club (part 1) 0.7 14 Takeshi no Chousenjou 0.6 15 Famicom Detective Club (part 2) 0.4 16 Okhotsuku ni Kiyu 0.4 17 Mississippi Satsujin Jiken 0.4 18 Nazoler Land: Dai 3 Gou 0.3 19 Tower of Druaga 0.3 20 Nazoler Land Special 0.2 Question #9 (9/7-9/13) - When it comes to good BGM, what game comes to mind? 1 Dragon Quest III 9.2 2 Castlevania III 7.4 3 Mother 5.7 4 Final Fantasy III 4.5 5 Dragon Quest IV 3.4 6 Kirby's Adventure 3.2 7 Dragon Quest II 2.8 8 Legend of Zelda 2.5 9 Megami Tensei II 2.4 10 Mega Man 2 2.4 11 Lagrange Point 2.3 12 Castlevania 2.0 13 Mouryou Senki Madara 1.7 14 Milon's Secret Castle 1.5 15 Dragon Quest 1.5 16 Okhotsuku ni Kiyu 1.4 17 Super Mario Bros. 1.3 18 Shin Onigashima 1.3 19 Mega Man 3 1.2 20 Goonies 1.2 Question #10 (9/14-9/20) - When it comes to adventure games, what comes to mind? 1 Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken 22.7 2 Okhotsuku ni Kiyu 10.1 3 Sanma no Meitantei 9.7 4 Shin Onigashima 7.1 5 Famicom Detective Club (part 1) 6.6 6 Famicom Detective Club (part 2) 5.5 7 Princess Tomato 3.9 8 Metal Slader Glory 2.7 9 Challenger 2.1 10 Legend of Zelda 1.8 11 Shadowgate 1.6 12 Mississippi Satsujin Jiken 1.3 13 Idol Hakkenden 1.1 14 Suishou no Dragon 1.0 15 Yuuyuuki 1.0 16 Dead Zone 1.0 17 Tantei Jinguuji Saburou (FDS) 1.0 18 Ripple Island 0.9 19 Erika to Satoru no Yume Bouken 0.8 20 Jesus 0.7 Question #11 (9/21-9/27) - When it comes to "not being able to beat it", what game comes to mind? 1 Takeshi no Chousenjou 9.4 2 Ghosts 'n Goblins 6.8 3 Adventure Island 4.9 4 Transformers: Convoy no Nazo 4.8 5 Super Mario Bros. 2 (JP) 4.1 6 Mighty Bomb Jack 2.9 7 Spelunker 2.6 8 Chubby Cherub 2.3 9 Kamen Rider Club 2.3 10 Dragon Quest II 2.2 11 Dragon Power 2.1 12 Atlantis no Nazo 1.9 13 Championship Lode Runner 1.7 14 Ninja Gaiden 1.4 15 Challenger 1.3 15 Mississippi Satsujin Jiken 1.3 17 Tower of Druaga 1.2 18 Hoshi o Miro Hito 1.2 19 Elnark no Zaihou 1.2 20 Raid on Bungeling Bay 1.1 ...