In Memory of Nintendo's Family Computer

~~~Playing is one of the usual things that we always do during the early stages of our lives. Be it a game of tag, hide-and-seek, chinese garter, jack stone, shatong, chikicha, snakes and ladders, or any other crazy games that would give our poor mothers some heart attack. But nothing can beat the addictive power of the legendary Nintendo Family Computer back then. I remembered my uncles threatening me and my brother to confiscate that astounding device if we cannot finish our homework and memorize all things that we have learned. It was amazing how all twelve presidents (from Aguinaldo to Ramos) including their birth dates were remembered within an hour just to give a go on Mario and Luigi or Rambo again. When our hands had grasped the turbo controllers, everything that was memorized an hour ago vanished. All we could remember are the up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-b-a-select-start and the combo hit commands. There were times when our uncles would take over the computer and we couldn't do anything but sulk in the corner as we watched them finish all the stages in Battle City and Ice Climber.

~~~Just thinking of this leaves a trace of nostalgia. Famicom cartridges cost a hefty amount of money at those days but hey, there is always the 20-in-1's and the 40-in-1's available so we could get loads of games and have fun in one price. Sweet. Now that I thought of it, I realized wasn't able to finish the Twin-Bee game. Hmmm... If only I could find where did our old Famicom and its cartridges had gone. Were they sent to my grandparent's old house? Probably. Did my uncles give those things away? Maybe, yeah. Were they already thrown to the garbage years ago? Guess so.

~~~I browse the Web and I stumbled into some cool stuff people had done to their Nintendo Famicoms. I don't think they are still using those to play the games considering the rapid development of 3D games which would make Famicom games look like a 19th century worn-out dial-phone. Here are some of the things I found:



Japan's Rockin' Famicom Guitar
Just look at that craftsmanship. An ingenious guitar loving individual hand made this Famicon electric six-string from Japanese timber. The measurements of the modeled Nintendo Family Computer even match up with the retro console. Everything, including the controller, the d-pad and the buttons were made from wood. The name of this creation? The Family Comguitar. Beautiful. Brian Ashcraft

Got this from kotaku.com and though you could "play" some struggling riffs out of it, it could not be a substitute for the real guitar.



Universal TV Remote Controller
Just in time to add another bibelot to your already growing collection of Nintendo themed household accoutrement, comes this Famicom themed universal TV remote. Unfortunately, it doesn't control cable boxes or DVD players, only televisions. The list of compatible brands are: Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, Sylvania, Sanyo, Aiwa, Hitachi, Philips, NEC, JVC, Toshiba, Mitsubishi and Fujitsu. Not recommended for TV's older than 5 years or so. And in case you were wondering, yes, this is an official Nintendo branded product. These are limited editions from Japan, so order now while supplies last! Flynn De Marco

I wonder what will happen if the up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-b-a button combination is pressed?





A Family of Famicoms
Uhmm... I didn't know that there are different sizes of Famicoms. The tiniest one is so cute. lol




Remote-controlled Mario and Toad Toys
They could walk but I wonder if pressing "B" would make them throw those fire balls and "A" would make them jump. Oh, boy. I'm digging this.