List of Famicom/NES game differences

[featherplucknfilms]

NES/Famicom Game Differences
Which Famicom games have differences from their NES counterparts?

Air Fortress --
FC:
NES: revised, less Engrish opening story.

Akumajou Densetsu (cart) --
FC: 1) the main characters name is "Ralph Belmondo", and not Trever Belmont. 2) The sprites for the Zombie's, Mad frogs, Mummy Men, and the boss named Leviathan all have different sprites. 3) Mud Men are slightly more animated. 4) Hunchbacks are reffered to as Gremlins (from Super Castlevania IV). 5) Grant uses throwing daggers as his main weapon instead of using a stabbing dagger, and can only collect the axe and stopwatch sub-weapons. 6) The music is far superior because of the Konami VRC6 that was installed in the cartridge. 7) Timing differences in some of the enemies' patterns and attacks. 8.) Different item placement for candleabras and breakable bricks. 9) There are alot of color differences for most stages and some enemies (like the green Phantom Bat). 10) Water dragons breathe flames downward, as well as upward, and hold the attack longer no matter the direction of the flames. 11) Boss mummies throw shards both high and low instead of in wavy patterns. 12) There are no Skull Heads, Armed Knights or Robed Zombies in this version. 13) If you are killed while fighting Dracula, you begin outside the keep stairway instead of near the pendulums. 14) Nude statues and religious themes are not censored. 15) The cross in the intro has rays that beam from it. 16) The text is a normal font rather than a gothic font used in the US version. 17) The second quest and the starting ally passwords do not work. 18) The sound made when switching allies is different. 19) The game is slightly easier.
NES: called Castlevania 3.

Akumajou Dracula (cart) --
FC: 1) you can select a "normal" or "easy" difficulty level. 2) An added  Konami logo before the title screen.
NES: called Castlevania.

Akumajou Dracula (disk) --
FC: 1) the name-entry option that allows you to save your game into the disks memory; 2) Simon can collect morning-star symbols much earlier than normal, where he usually has to attain five hearts beforehand. 3) The game is easier due to the save feature, and more frequent whip power ups.
NES: called Castlevania.

Argus no Senshi --
FC: different ending text; plus many other BG songs.
NES:

Batman --
FC: stages 1-1 + 1-2 and 2-1 through 2-3's music have been switched around from how it appears in the NES version.
NES:

Bubble Bobble (disk) --
FC: 1) EXTEND screens vary in background, including cookies; 2) the final boss is defeated after 60 shocks; has save option; 3) You don't get 1ups for points.
NES: 1) EXTEND screens have only the "E-X-T-E-N-D" bubbles background; 2) the final boss is defeated after 100 shocks; password option; 3) You get a 1up at 35000, 100000, 200000, 400000 etc. points.

Captain Tsubasa --
FC: 1) features original Captain Tsubasa characters and storyline; 2) before you enter in the Japan team, you play a little mini-game seeking Taro Misaki. The text is in Japanese.
NES: called Tecmo Cup: Soccer Game; 1) no Captain Tsubasa characters or storyline -- all are custom team names, characters and storyline made by Tecmo; 2) no mini-game before the special team (which is not called the Japan team).

Contra --
FC: 1) includes level intro screens. 2) animated maps screens. 3) short animations between stages 4) animated backgrounds (swaying palm trees, snow, moving alien liar, etc.); 4) slightly extended ending scene.
NES:

Dengeki Big Burn --
FC: yen symbol instead of dollar symbol.
NES: called Clash at Demonhead; dollar symbol instead of yen symbol.

Donald Duck --
FC: the characters are from Disney.
NES: called Snoopy's Silly Sports Spectacular; the characters are from Peanuts.

Double Dragon 3 --
FC: 1) has a level skipping cheat (press A + B + Select + Start); 2) gives you a little more health; 3) slightly more weapons; 4) Hiruko appears at the end of Mission 2.
NES: 1) no level skipping cheat; 2) less health; 3) fewer weapons; 4) Hiruko does not appear at the end of Mission 2.

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde --
FC:
NES:

Dracula 2: Noroi no Fuiin (disk) --
FC: 1) the name-entry option that allows you to save your game into the disks memory. 2) The loading times that are present when you enter into towns and mansions. 3) The music is more digital, faster and toned higher. 4) Camilla Cemetery is instead called "Carmilla Cemetery". 5) The game's enemy rate is slightly higher. 6) The glass-shattering noise when you use holy water is absent. 7) The sound that's made when Simon falls into water is different. The sound that plays when you discover a secret only plays when you talk to hidden souls and not after. 9) There are beefed up sounds for the Ferryman's actions and the Deborah Cliff tornado ride. 10) You can keep purchasing garlic and laurels even after your stock is full. 11) The mansion music also plays when you're outside of the mansion entrances. 12) The game is slightly harder.
NES:

Final Mission --
FC:
NES: called S.C.A.T.

Fudou Myouou Den --
FC: an almost different game from its U.S. counterpart: One hit kills you, lots of new power-ups, levels, enemies, and bosses; has a vertical-scrolling Kanji text opening and ending.
NES: called Demon Sword.

Green Beret (disk) --
FC: 1) More weapon wielding Green enemies, each one only gives you 1 round (rocket, grenade, etc.) for the weapon instead of three, as in RNA. There is no max number of rounds you can acquire. 2) When you die you begin where you left off instead of starting back earlier in the level, thus making it much easier of a game. 3) There are underground passages that you can get to by finding ladders underneath the landmines after they blow up.
NES: called Rush 'N Attack.

Hikari Shinwa: Palutena no Kagami (disk) --
FC: 1) use the controller II microphone to lower prices in the shop.
NES: called Kid Icarus. 1) Use A+B on the second controller to lower prices in the shop.

Hitler no Fukkatsu --
FC: 1) includes Nazi imagery. 2) calls the final boss "Hitler."
NES: called Bionic Commando; 1) all Nazi imagery removed. 2) final boss is not called "Hitler."

Final Command: Red Fortress --
FC:  a lack of bankswitching abilities.
NES: called Jackal; has longer levels and more enemies.

Link no Bouken --
FC: 1) tunnel-like corridors inside the starting palace. 2) animated water. 3) different enemies sprites on the map. 4) dramatic sound when running into enemy. 5) alternate battle music. 6) absence of Link's voice when attacked. 7) loading screen when entering and exiting towns and temples. funny sounds when text appears. 9) cheaper death music. 10) cheaper fairy music. 11) RETURN OF GANNON THE END (no Gannon laughing).
NES: called Legend of Zelda.

Mad City --
FC:
NES: called Adventures of Bayou Billy.

Magic John --
FC:
NES: called Totally Rad.

Maniac Mansion --
FC:
NES:

Nekketsu! Dodgeball bu Soccer hen --
FC: 1) has an storyline (since its part of the Kunio-kun series) and features ficticious high school soccer teams (like Captain Tsubasa); 2) you always play as Nekketsu team; 3) features Kunio characters.
NES: called NES World Cup; 1) lacks storyline and features World Cup-themed teams; 2) allows you to choose your team in tournament mode; 3) doesn't features the Kunio characters (but Kunio and friends make a little cameo as the Japan team in world cup mode.

Ninja Ryukenden --
FC: 1) includes storyline screens.
NES: called Ninja Gaiden; 1) no storyline screens.

Ninja Ryukenden 3 --
FC: 1) has a password feature; 2) has unlimited continues; 3) player takes 2x less damage when hit.
NES: called Ninja Gaiden 3; 1) no password feature; 2) no unlimited continues; 3) player takes double the damage when hit.

Operation Wolf --
FC: 1) stages are selectable, except for the last two stages. 2) There's a bikini girl in the game.
NES: 1) no stage selection; 2) no bikini girl.

Raf World --
FC: main character sprite slightly different from NES version.
NES: called Journey to Silius.

Rampart --
FC: keeps the same basic NES gameplay elements (build castle, shoot cannons at things, rebuild/expand castle, repeat), but added stories and special objectives (survive n rounds, destroy n monsters, surround this target, etc).
NES: an arcade port (more or less).

Roger Rabbit --
FC:
NES: called Bugs Bunny's Crazy Castle.

Rygar --
FC: alternate Daybreak music.
NES:

Salamander --
FC: Different ending graphics, depending on how many continues you used.
NES: Called Life Force. Always ends the same.

Softball Tengoku --
FC: has ghoul and goblin characters
NES: called Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball

Star Force --
FC:
NES: released by Tecmo 1988.

Super Mario Bros. (disk) --
FC: has a very different minus world:  Level -1 is a weird swimming level, with lots of floating bad guys, including Bowser;  also, random sprites of the Princess. Level -2 is a normal bridge level with flying fish, and Level -3 is a castle level, with no Bowser at the end and no one in the room after reaching the ax. The game then restarts as if you had beaten it, with Busy Beetles replacing Goombas.
NES:

Super Mario Bros. 3 --
FC: Getting hit while in costume shrinks all the way to small Mario;  When you lose a costume, you kind of poop it out. There are level differences, like Level 5-1 loses a wall at the end of the level.
NES: Getting hit while in costume shrinks to big Mario.

Superman --
FC:
NES:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Manhattan Project --
FC: 1) has an option menu on the title screen, with a sound test, number of lives and difficulty settings.
NES: called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: The Manhattan Project; 1) no options menu.

Tokkou Shirei Solbrain --
FC:
NES: called Shatterhand.

[Doc]

Actually, I was thinking about doing something like that, especially with games like Green Beret, Donald Duck, and such.

[JC]

That's a damn good idea. Potentially tough. But a good one. I'll mull over how it'd be constructed and get back to you. If anyone has a suggestion about what it should look like, let me know. It could be a separate games list, but that might be tough. Oh. Another possibility might be to tack a note onto each game on the games lists that says: Gameplay Variation. and then you click it to go to a page explaining each of the gameplay variations we discover. Hmm...

[Doc]

Maybe even a mini pop-up?

[JC]

Ooooo. Interesting. I'll have to teach myself how to do that. I knew how at one point.

We'll see.

[Doc]

I used to know how, aswell. I'll ask my friend soon.

[JC]

Maybe we should get a list going -- Famicom/FDS games that are have significant differences from their NES counterparts.

[Juggalo/Hulkamaniac]

Don't mention that horrible game ever again!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M_4Yqk65f8

[Jedi Master Baiter]

I can mention that  game as many times as I want.  And CastleVania 2 was bad?

By the way, he died because he was at the beginning of the level.

When Mr. Hyde reaches the point to where Dr. Jekyll is, he gets struck by lightning -  a little incentive to get further in the game with Jekyll.

Heh, I also saw him playing Roger Rabbit - he sucks at driving.

[Juggalo/Hulkamaniac]

Those reviews were pretty funny. Gotta laugh at the bottle of Rolling Rock!

[Toneman]

I did quite a few of those videos on YouTube distinguishing differences of Famicom/NES games.

Adventures of Bayou Billy / Mad City
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vENXnbybWjI

Superman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du-qbloLWRc

S.C.A.T. / Final Mission
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoGKzKhK_8Q

Star Force (Hudson 1985) / Star Force (Tecmo 1988)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dEhAUbWs-A

Totally Rad / Magic John
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aDfiRghbeM

Journey to Silius / Raf World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4Usk2CcXCE

Shatterhand / Solbrain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9OvyVoj7I0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI3X9rcnPno

[Doc]

Awesome! Great videos.

[Juggalo/Hulkamaniac]

Thank-you. Awesome videos!

[Jedi Master Baiter]

Wow - I was surprised to see the story in English:

SEVERAL YEARS AFTER GANNON
WAS DESTROYED, LINK LEARNS
FROM IMPA ABOUT THE ANOTH-
ER SLEEPING PRINCESS ZELDA.
HE IS TOLD SHE CAN ONLY
AWAKEN WITH THE N0.3 TRY-
FORCE SEALED IN THE GREAT
SANCTUARY AT DISVALLEY. TO
REMOVE THE SEAL, CRYSTALS
MUST BE EMBEDDED INTO A
STONE STATUE STANDING IN
6 SANCTUARIS.
LINK SETS OUT ON AN
ADVENTUROUS QUEST.

I thought idea of entirely different Links was bad; apparently this was a different Zelda.  Maybe we should have a section on this.

So far I found several differences:

1.) tunnel-like corridors inside the starting palace
2.) animated water
3.) different enemies sprites on the map
4.) dramatic sound when running into enemy
5.) alternate battle music; I like the NES version better
6.) absence of Link's voice when attacked
7.) loading screen when entering & exiting towns & temples
8.) funny sounds when text appears
9.) cheaper death music
10.) cheaper fairy music
11.) RETURN OF GANNON THE END (no Gannon laughing)

[JC]

Perfect! Perfect! We've been wanting to do this for some time. Featherpluck recommended we have a section highlighting the differences between games that gamers might think are the same but aren't. I'll work on setting something up. Perhaps you all can continue to list games and their differences here or in the suggestions thread about game differences!