Attack of the Clones: Updates and testing!
Since the last Famiclone article, I’ve spent more time testing my handheld units and sadly I can confirm my Power Joy isn’t working, but its possibly an easy fix. I’ve also painstakingly compiled a list of what games are in my Super Joy III (I say my Super Joy because it seems the games vary from unit to unit), although it says 12000 it only has 120 difference choices and only 45 of those are unique games. Below is the list I have compiled, please note that I have been as careful as possible to spell everything according to the Super Joy, if anything is misspelled that is how it appears within the unit.
Super Joy Title | Original Title | Extra Info |
Super Mario | Super Mario Bros. | Sped up a little bit, but essentially normal. |
Paper Boy | Paper Boy | Normal |
Defender | Defender II | Normal |
Space Invaders | Space Invaders | Normal |
Donkey Kong 3 | Donkey Kong 3 | Normal |
Gradius | Gradius | Normal |
Galaga | Galaga | Normal |
Arkanoid | Arkanoid | Normal |
1942 | 1942 | Normal |
Super Contra | Super C | Famicom version |
Duck Hunt | Duck Hunt | Game A offers 1 “DWCK” |
Sky Destroyer | Sky Destroyer | Normal |
Pacman | Pacman | Normal NES port |
Bomberman | Bomberman | Normal |
Hyper Olympics | Track and Field | Normal |
Tetris | Tetris | Famicom version |
Millipede | Millipede | Normal |
Pinball | Pinball | Normal |
Kung Fu | Kung Fu | Normal |
Dig Dug | Dig Dug | Normal |
Wild Gun Man | Wild Gunman | Normal |
Warpman | Warpman | Only released for the Famicom |
Lunar Ball | Lunar Ball | Famicom version of Lunar Pool |
Golf | Golf | Normal |
Excitebike | Excitebike | Normal |
Road Fighter | Road Fighter | Glitchy version of the Famicom verion |
F1 Race | F1 Race | Slightly altered Famicom version |
Lode Runner | Lode Runner | Normal |
Tank | Battle City | Only released for the Famicom |
Raid on Bay | Raid on Bungeling Bay | Normal |
Mappy | Mappy | Only released for the Famicom |
Pooyan | Pooyan | Only released for the Famicom |
Tennis | Tennis | Normal |
Base Ball | Base Ball | Graphically broken, otherwise working |
Clu Clu Land | Clu Clu Land | Normal |
Balloon Fighter | Balloon Fighter | Normal |
Ice Climber | Ice Climber | Normal |
Macross | Macross | Only released for the Famicom |
Mario Bros | Afro Mario | Yes, this is Afro Mario instead of Mario Bros. |
Chess | Gomoku Narabe Renju | Only released for the Famicom |
Hogan Alley | Hogan’s Alley | Normal |
Ball and Steel | Arkanoid | Round 7 |
Burger Time | Burger Time | Normal |
Popeye | Popeye | Normal |
Star Force | Star Force | Normal |
Circus Charlie | Circus Charlie | Normal |
Fight Abysm | Super C | Area 2 |
Light of Devildom | Super Mario | 8-1 |
Disloyalty Money | Paper Boy | Tuesday |
Engle Forest | Super C | Area 3 |
Magic Power | Super Mario | 7-1 |
Thieft of Justice | Paper Boy | Wednesday |
Time Tube | Super C | Area 4 |
Sky Dever | Super Mario | 6-1 |
Road Fatter | Paper Boy | Thursday |
Water Dragon | Super C | Area 5 |
Road by Magic | Super Mario | 5-1 |
Perpetrate a Trand | Paper Boy | Monday |
Danger Zone | Super C | Area 6 |
Sun Fun | Super Mario | 4-1 |
Thief Golden | Paper Boy | Friday |
Top Perilous Peak | Super C | Area 7 |
Darks Sprite | Super Mario | 3-1 |
Policeman and Thief | Paper Boy | Saturday |
Kill Pioneer | Super C | Area 8 |
Devildom in Water | Super Mario | 2-1 |
Paper Boy Sunday | Paper Boy | Sunday |
Long Jump | Track and Field | Long Jump |
Hrdles Meee | Track and Field | Hurdles |
Javelin Throw | Track and Field | Javelin Throw |
Skeet Shooting | Track and Field | Skeet Shooting |
Triple Jump | Track and Field | Triple Jump |
Archery | Track and Field | Archery |
High Jump | Track and Field | High Jump |
100M Dash | Track and Field | 100M Dash |
Jump Fire | Circus Charlie | Stage 1 |
Popendancer | Circus Charlie | Stage 2 |
Roll Ball | Circus Charlie | Stage 3 |
Filer | Circus Charlie | Stage 4 |
Jump Bed | Circus Charlie | Stage 5 |
Driver Side by Side | Balloon Fight | Phase 5 |
Forword Power | Balloon Fight | Phase 9 |
Super Man Bomb1 | Super C | Area 1, A0 Lives — which is actually 100 |
Super Man Bomb2 | Super C | Area 1, 6 Lives |
Super Man Bomb3 | Super C | Area 1, 6 Lives |
Super Man Bomb4 | Super C | Area 5, 6 Lives |
Fight in Battle | Battle City | Stage 36 |
Fe Protect | Battle City | Stage 43 |
Kill in Battle | Battle City | Stage 50 |
King of the Fe | Battle City | Stage 57 |
In No Time | Battle City | Stage 64 |
Battle Start | Battle City | Stage 71 |
Break The Earth | Battle City | Stage 78 |
Protect Home | Battle City | Stage 85 |
Die Tomorrow | Battle City | Stage 92 |
Race No Enger | F1 Race | Circuit 2 |
Hold Time | F1 Race | Circuit 3 |
No Time and Enger | F1 Race | Circuit 4 |
Brick Figheter | Balloon Fight | Phase 13 |
Super Brick | Balloon Fight | Phase 15 |
Impregnable Forest | Arkanoid | Round 5 |
Steel Door | Arkanoid | Round 9 |
Crush Cage | Arkanoid | Round D |
Steel Ball | Arkanoid | Round H |
Brick Wall | Arkanoid | Round L |
Iron Blast | Arkanoid | Round O |
Greatwall Brick | Arkanoid | Round R |
Metal Pail | Arkanoid | Round U |
Super Shell | Arkanoid | Round W |
Steel Stick | Arkanoid | Round Z |
Mario Fly | Super Mario | 1-1 |
Paper Boy New | Paper Boy | Monday |
Defender UK | Defender II | ? |
Space Invaders KI | Space Invaders | ? |
Donkey Kong Go | Donkey Kong 3 | ? |
Gradius Bee | Gradius | ? |
Galaga Tea | Galaga | ? |
Arkanoid Run | Arkanoid | ? |
1942 Gold | 1942 | ? |
Contra Sun | Super C | ? |
Whether they added all individual ROMs or they just used coding to achieve this many choices I’m not sure, but I would assume it would be easier to just use code. After the first 120 the list starts all over and continues to do so until you have the illusion of 12000 choices. While making the list I broke up the time by playing Super Man Bomb1 (aka Super C w/100 Lives), the game was still challenging but with 100 lives beating the game was extremely easy!
Since I don’t own a Famicom (yet!) I didn’t have any games to test in my Super Joy, but I was still pretty certain it would work if a real Famicom game were attached, being the unit is blank until you insert the ROM board into the slot. This lead me to checking around online for a Famicom game that wouldn’t require me to translate dialog and was something I knew I already enjoyed. So I ended up buying a Soccer Famicom cartridge, its a game I know I already like and there isn’t anything in Japanese, oddly enough.
After almost a whole agonizing day waiting for the game to arrive it finally did, but I was upset to find the Famicom cartridge was too big to fit within the unit, so I took my Super Joy apart. After attaching the Famicom game and powering up the unit, SOCCER flashed on the screen and the game music began! I played the game for a little bit to see if it would glitch out and everything seemed to work perfectly.
Knowing that my Super Joy can play Famicom cartridges gives me pretty good idea of what to do if I happen to find another one. Since I want to keep my current Super Joy complete, I need to find another Super Joy 3 or I might be able to use the Power Joy and transform it from a handheld into something more like a console with real NES controller ports. I’m thinking this might make a decent and cheap Famiclone system given the right parts and attention.
Attack of the Clones!
With as often as I go to flea markets and thrift stores, I see a lot of crazy items. Some of these items aren’t even related to video games, but sometimes I see things that are video game related that are just as crazy, such as the onslaught of systems known as Famiclones. These systems are made in China, boast an insane number of games or features it can’t truly offer and are built within slightly modified and brightly colored gaming systems we already know and love. I personally own 2 handheld Famiclones, I believe only one of them slightly works as I can’t test the other because I tried to power it up with an NES power supply and think I fried it.
Since Nintendo let the patents to the Famicom and the NES go, you would assume these systems would be sold anywhere other Chinese goods are sold, but you’d be wrong. See, it isn’t the hardware that these companies create (or ripped-off, depending on your point of view) but the illegally pirated software within the units that comes under fire and keeps them off most store shelves. Essentially the system is a Nintendo on a chip, or NoaC, which emulates (to an extent) the same features the Famicom and NES did, while packing in game ROMs to make it a complete system with games. Some will boast anywhere from 76 to 99 million built-in games, which isn’t true. Although you may see that many choices, most of the games are split up into certain levels of the same game featured over and over within the system.
For example my Super Joy 3 offers 12000 games incuding: Super Mario Bros., Tennis, Baseball (utterly broken), Arkanoid, 1942, Pacman, Donkey Kong 3, Dig Dug, Clu Clu Land, Super C and a few other titles, from the maybe 30-40 original titles within the system, the rest of the choices are areas 1-1, 2-1, 3-1, etc. of Super Mario Bros., or different levels of Super C. Also, as you may suspect, these units are Chinese made so they aren’t built to stand the test of time, my Super Joy 3 has a terrible buzz and there are lines on the screen, but once you’re captured in a game it really tends to fade away to an extent. I do have to admit that I have had quite a bit of fun with my Super Joy 3, its fun to have that many games in your hands and it feels closer to the real thing than PC emulators.
So if the systems emulate the NES instead of the Famicom, why are they called Famiclones? Well, that is because most of them have a 60 pin connector attached to them, which is standard for the Famicom as the NES systems all used 72 pins. I’ve seen evidence that you may also be able to play official Famicom cartridges on these units, some other Famiclones are geared specifically for doing just that, but since I only own the handheld units and don’t own any Famicom games, I can’t claim this to be true.
The systems range from Playstation shaped all the way to the odd shape of my Power Joy, which is like an N64 controller mixed with a jet fighter toy to allow for the light gun built into the unit. These systems almost always use a 9 pin input, much like the Atari 2600 or Sega Genesis, for a second controller or light gun. The handheld units can be run off batteries or DC adapters, they also have the standard power on/off switch, a reset button, D-pad, A and B with matching turbo buttons above them as well as start and select buttons. If you’re use to the N64 controller, at times you may want to pause the game and instead hit the reset button, but if you know what you’re looking for you can always scroll through the games and find the level you were on listed somewhere along the way.
All it took was buying the Power Joy for $1 that set off my obsession with wanting to understand the Famiclones. These units are often used for parts to create better handheld versions of the full systems they emulate, but on their own they’re pretty weak. These items will never come close to replacing the original Famicom, but for those of us who either can’t afford or don’t want to hunt down a working Famicom system, these might do enough to pass the time until we just can’t live without the real thing anymore. I will be doing more research and testing with mine as well as hopefully getting more Famiclones to test, but the bottom line is, I just want to enjoy the Famicom even in this sad, cloned, fraction of a sense.