Different Re-Releases?

[Circlekyuu]

Hey, I just decided to post here because there has been something bothering me for quite some time now, how many games have more than one release on the Famicom? Like, I know there is the silver box and pulse cart releases for games like Donkey Kong, Popeye and Mario Bros., etc, etc but were there other games like this? The other thing is for the Famicom Disk Writer, were there some games that were only able to be written onto a blank disk (Metroid, Nazo no Murasamejou and other games with an A and B side come to mind) or onto the B-side of a game like Super Mario Bros. 2? It's just been bugging me for so long, it'd be nice to get some closure...

[Jedi Master Baiter]

Punch-Out!! had several different versions, & some pulse carts had different labels, like Golf.

[Cheetahmen]

Weren't there 2 different versions of BPS Tetris? If so, why didn't they fix the bloody controls?

[Circlekyuu]

Wait, Japan did get the non-Mike Tyson version of Punch-Out!!? Or do you just mean the gold cart of it? Also, by different labels do you mean like Golf had a different label then, say, Baseball, or that there are two different Golf labels?

Looking around YAJ and eBay, it doesn't seem like there are two different versions of Tetris, unless the change is extremely subtle or it is only a small in-game thing. I could be wrong, though, after all I'm the one asking the questions!

[Xious]

Weren't there 2 different versions of BPS Tetris? If so, why didn't they fix the bloody controls?

There is a single release of 'Tetris' on the Famicom; the controls are based on the original PC version. BPS als released 'Tetris II + Bombliss' which has a brilliant 2-player version of Tetris and the puzzle-solving game 'Bombliss' on one cartridge. This has nothing to do with the NES release 'Tetris II' which is 'Tetris Flash' on the Famicom.

This means that between the FC and NES, there are nine versions of Tetris, plus one more different version for the Vs. System hardware:
Tetris (BPS; Famicom)
Tetris (BPS; FDS Pirate V.A)
Tetris (BPS; FDS Pirate V.B)
Tetris (Tengen; NES)
Tetris (Tengen; Famicom Pirate)
Tetris (Atari games; VS. System)
Tetris (Nintendo; NES)
Tetris II+Bombliss (BPS; FC)
Tetris Flash (BPS; FC)
Tetris II (Nintendo/BPS; NES)

The original BPS version is also the release that was ported to the Game Boy, and was the basis for the Nintendo-programmed NES version. In my opinion, 'Tetris II+Bombliss' is the superior title in the home-console release series, even to this day, with the Tengen and Nintendo NES releases being next in my choice of favourites. My top choice is the Atari arcade machine, due to some of the level-events, such as randomly-appearing obstacles; the Tengen release is based upon the design and controls of the arcade version, but doesn't have the level-events.

There are a variety of multiple-release games; some with differences int he code and not externally (e.g. not packaging or label variations). A handful of games have three releases, such as 'Zelda no Densetsu' and 'Donkey Kong'. It's hard to count prize-only games as different releases, especially those that are entirely different games, but if you want to classify them as such, feel free in which case, .Zelda no Densetsu' has four releases.

Famicomplete and Family Computer 1983-1994 are your best resources for compiling any definitive list.

[Circlekyuu]

Yeah, I'm talking about external differences (labels, packaging, etc.) and not differences in the code, but four versions? Really? Is that including the Charumera version as well as both the FDS and cart versions?

[Xious]

In release order:

'Zelda no Densetsu' - FDS (Disk Writer Version) *Launch Day in 50 Stores
'Zelda no Densetsu' - FDS Retail Box-Packaged Release *FDS Launch Day
'Charumera Ramen Zelda no Densetsu' - Boxed FDS Prize Disk: Part of the Charumera Famicom Contest promotion in 1986; came with special Charumera-badged Famicom; game (standard yellow disk) has different label, manual and inserts; may have different game-play (unconfirmed).
'Zelda no Densetsu 1'- Teal cassette re-release with slight changes for New Famicom (A/V); re-designed FC can't play original disk version due to lack of microphone; cassette re-release is similar to NES version, but not exactly the same.

This an excerpt from the areas of Jerry Griner's book that I'm writing; mostly FC/NES and some other consoles and systems.

[Circlekyuu]

Oh okay, that's what I thought but I didn't know if you meant just FDS or just cart or what 

Speaking of Disk Writer, what exactly makes a Disk Writer game complete? I heard that some stores used photocopied manuals, would those count as making these games complete?

[Xious]

Oh okay, that's what I thought but I didn't know if you meant just FDS or just cart or what 

Speaking of Disk Writer, what exactly makes a Disk Writer game complete? I heard that some stores used photocopied manuals, would those count as making these games complete?

Complete, with the annotation (Old-Stock Photocopied Manual). Some stores also used (Nintendo-provided) white labels and hand-wrote the name of the game when they ran out of colour labels. These are noted as (White Label Disk).

The premium value comes from original manuals; white-label disks with original manuals are only slightly less-valuable than normal-label disks with original manuals. It's really up to the mindset of the person collecting them. Obviously, we all prefer original label disks and original colour manuals.

This type of thing makes Disk-Writer games very difficult to classify and grade, though I did work out a system for it.

[fredJ]

In release order:

'Zelda no Densetsu' - FDS (Disk Writer Version) *Launch Day in 50 Stores
'Zelda no Densetsu' - FDS Retail Box-Packaged Release *FDS Launch Day

Today I noticed there was a slight difference between two Zelda no Densetsu disk labels. Maybe this is why.

[Xious]

Please post photos f the different labels: The bigger the better, if you will. I'd like to see what you sre noting... I may have noticed it too, but dismissed it.

Many DW games have slightly different labels to their boxed/retail release counterparts. 

[fredJ]

It's mainly color differences...




And I wonder why the text "Famicom Disk System" is sometimes yellow sometimes white...

[Circlekyuu]

That's pretty interesting, is it possible then that there are other Disk Writer games that have different labels? I wouldn't be surprised if most did so that the difference could be determined between the two.

[Xious]

Many of them, indeed have slight  variations.

[Circlekyuu]

....Okay so apparently I have some conflicting information going on here. I was informed on another topic on this forums that Duck Hunt, Wild Gunman and Hogan's Alley never got "silver box" versions of their "pulse label" versions. (which would have been the simple purple cart for these games)

Then came this video, which clearly shows that at least Duck Hunt and Hogan's Alley have silver box versions. (see 3:17 to 3:21 in the video) What's going on here, and can we assume Wild Gunman has one as well??? Silver Wild Gunman box confirmed?!

Another thing I saw earlier was two different CIB copies of the original Rockman, but both of them had different inserts! One had a green AC Adapter slip (what is that even about, it's like in every Famicom/SuFami game ever) and one had a pink one. Did game companies switch up inserts found in brand new games every once in a while?