Famicom Baseball! Reflections on the Art and More Japanese Video Game Slang

Spring is my favorite season of all. Mainly for the warm weather. But also because it is when my favorite sport of all starts up again: baseball!

The Famicom has an awful lot of baseball games for it. I'm pretty sure there are more Famicom baseball games than any other single type of game. This makes sense as Baseball is definitely the most popular sport in this country (yet another reason why I like living here).

In the comments section of my last post on Ice Climber Nate astutely pointed out that there are a lot of interesting Famicom slang related to Namco's Family Stadium series of baseball games, which were the most popular baseball games on the Famicom (Jaleco's Moero Pro Yakyuu was also popular though). So I thought I would do a post here about Famicom baseball. In the first part of this post I offer some thoughts on the genre of Famicom baseball games and their artistic qualities. In the second part I offer a continuation of my series on Japanese Famicom slang with some entries on baseball games.

First, a little word about Famicom baseball and Family Stadiumin particular:
If you were a baseball loving kid in the English speaking world in the 80s as I was, you probably longed to play this game's American release, Tengen's R. B.I. Baseball. This is a really great game, partly because it just plays well, but also because it was the game that used actual Major League player names rather than just generic ones.

I didn't have this game as a kid. Instead I had Bases Loaded 3, which used generic teams and player names, much to my disappointment. That game had its predecessor on the Famicom in Jaleco's Moero Pro Yakyuu:Not a bad game. This one holds the record for being the cheapest Famicom game I have ever purchased: 10 yen. It actually had a "10 yen" price tag on it and everything.

Anyway, a lot of people criticize older Baseball (and other sports games) for not aging well. The clumsy graphics and controls are no match for today's games. I have to admit that this is one of the few genres (along with racing games) where I fully acknowledge and embrace the newer consoles. About the only games I play on my PS2 are Baseball and racing games. Still though, I could never completely abandon my old Famicom baseball games.

One of the main points of brilliance in the early baseball video games is their coincidental similarities with American folk artist's rendering of baseball games. Look at this painting by the brilliant Ralph Fasanella ("Night Game - 'tis a bunt"):
Doesn't that field with those players bear a strong resemblance to the way early baseball video game designers made their field's look? The simplicity brings to mind Nintendo's first baseball game on the Famicom (the descriptively titled "Baseball"):The elements of folk art aren't just found in the games but on their labels as well. Probably the best in my opinion is an obscure old game called Chounin Ultra Baseball:
The use of color is perfectly balanced on that cover art. The simplicity of the background and the bold, yellow letters perfectly compliments the detail on the player's jersey and the look of determination on his face. I really love this cart.

OK, now on with the baseball slang. Courtesy of Tatta Hitori no Famicom Shonen's excellent glossary of terms. In no particular order:

コントローラー落とし　("Controller Otoshi") - when you are about to lose, you drop your controller on the Famicom, causing it to stop working, thus nullifying the game's results. Literally "Controller drop".

侍打法 ("Samurai Dahou") - I have a little trouble understanding the precise meaning of this as it is written, but basically this is a type of hit where you stop the bat at one of the corners of the plate. Literally "Samurai hit".

ハットリ打法 ("Hattori Dahou") - another name for a hit similar to Samurai Dahou. The name comes from the game Ninja Hattori Kun.

ピッピ ("Pi-pi") - The sound the pitcher makes in Family Stadium. Can be used in a sentence like "Does anyone want to Pi-pi?" (ie does anyone want to pitch?). Of course in English if you ask that it sounds like you are asking if anyone wants to urinate, so you should probably use this with extreme caution.

武士なさ (Bushi nasa") - This took me a bit of time to figure out, but basically it means to have mercy on your opponent. Like if it is the 9th inning with two outs and your opponent hits a fly ball to right that will end the game, you might choose to let it drop instead. Comes from an old Samurai expression ("Bushi" is another word for Samurai).

雨天中止 ("Utenchuushi") - literally "game called due to rain". Use this phrase when you are losing (and frustrated) and hit the "reset" button. Can also use "teiden" (blackout), "Bochittona" (a word that mimics the sound of a button being pushed) or "hekkushon" (Achooooo!).

Related Posts

Dining a la carte: Ice Climber Famicom Japanese

Famicom History Part 2: Japanese Famicom Slang 101

Dining a la carte: Ice Climber Famicom Japanese

Famicom carte, that is.

After so many kind readers expressed interest in the Famicom Japanese slang I introduced in my previous post, I decided to put up a few more in (yet another) separate series of posts. I've decided to introduce a few of the individual games that seem to have more colorful video game slang going for them. Today's game is the classic Ice Climber.
By way of introduction, I really like this game. Its one of the few Famicom games that you can play in two player cooperative mode, and its actually quite fun. I think my favorite such game is Son Son, but Ice Climber comes in a close second (in a tie with Contra).
Anyway, here are some of the Japanese slang associated with Ice Climber as reported by the always entertaining Tatta Hitori no Famicom Shonen. As a disclaimer, I should note that according to that source, some of these phrases were "extremely local" in character and were not necessarily in widespread use. Nonetheless, I think they are kind of interesting and worthy of translation.

男気 - "Otokogi" - Refers to when you get to the top of a level, jump and fail to catch the bird and then fall, left or right, through the cracks to the bottom of the mountain. Literally means "Man spirit".

奈落 - "Naraki" - Used when you just miscalculate a jump and then end up falling through the cracks much further than you could have expected (ie all the way off the screen) to your death. Literally it is an obscure word for "hell".

ワッシャる - "Wassharu" - Game Over. This just mimics the sound the game makes when it is "game over".

雪印 - "Yukijirushi" - This is used when you make a mistake (such as making contact with a seal) and your character freezes (causing you to lose a life). It is the name of a famous dairy product company whose name means "snow brand" and whose logo looks like this:
Anyway, there you go. Next time you plunk Ice Climber into your Famicom or NES, be sure to have these four useful terms memorized. Impress your friends!

Related Posts
- Famicom History Part 2: Japanese Famicom Slang 101
- Famicom History

Famicom History Part 2: Japanese Famicom Slang 101

Here we go, part 2 in my new little social history of the Famicom (part 1 is here). Today's post looks at the language of the Famicom.

Jargon is an interesting thing. Impenetrable to outsiders, it helps to define the group of people who use it. Over time, some words may make their way into the larger lexicon of the language in question, but most do not.

When I try to think of some English examples of, for example, NES related jargon that kids back in the day used, I can't really come up with anything. I'm sure it existed but....I don't know. Nothing comes to mind. Weird...some of you readers out there must have some?

Anyway, over at Tatta Hitori no Famicom, they have put together a dictionary of all the "yougo" (jargon) that Famicom fans have developed over the years. It is surprisingly large, with 177 entries to date. I spent a bit of time pouring over these, some are quite witty and amusing. Others perhaps not so much so.

I decided to translate a few of them for your reading pleasure. So here you go all you Famicom wannabes: How to speak "Famicom yougo" like a real 80s Japanese kid.

I've divided these into two sections, the first one looks at some general Famicom words/phrases. The second one looks at words specific to individual games.

Section 1: General Famicom Vocab

ファミコンあらし - "Famicom Arashi". I love this one, probably its my favorite. The definition on the website says:

"A person who goes to a friend's house only to play the Famicom and then goes right home after. Includes people such as those who only owned a Sega, or whose parents accidentally bought them Family Basic thinking it was a Famicom."

ファミカー "Famikaa" - Someone who really likes the Famicom. Also "Famiconist".

ファミる - "Famiru" - the verb form of "Famicom" (ie to "do Famicom" or "Play Famicom"). The -ru ending signifies it is a verb in Japanese.

ファミ逃げ - "Faminige" - Describes the situation where you are playing Famicom at home with someone and they (impolitely) say "Hey, I 'm really good at this part here, gimme the controller" and then when you do they immediately screw it up and die. Then they say "Oh I just remembered something I have to do" and run off. Literally means "Famicom runaway".

Section 2: Game Specific Famicom Vocab

1. Rockman

岩男 - "Iwao." This word is the nickname for Rockman (Megaman). From the Characters for "rock" and "man".

2. Super Mario Brothers

大人マリオ - "Otona Mario". This is the word you use when you get a mushroom on Super Mario Brothers. Literally means "adult Mario".

スタート殺し - "Suta-to Kuroshi" - Used in Super Mario Brothers two player mode. When 2p is jumping over some hazard, 1p pushes the "start" button, pausing the game and messing 2p's timing up. Then pushes "start" again, and 2p dies. Literally means "Start Kill".

3. Dr. Mario

おま連 - "Omaren". Used when your opponent erases two rows of pills in Dr. Mario, causing penalty pills to fall onto your screen. Its an abbreviated way of saying "I have you to thank for these damn pills falling onto my screen."

4. Takahashi Meijin no Bouken Shima (Adventure Island)

カミカゼ - "Kamikaze" - used when you go really fast on the skateboard and run into an enemy.

5. Balloon Fight

地獄落ち - "Jigoku Ochi" - Used in "C" mode when you fall into the abyss and the game makes that "hyuuuuuuuu- " sound. Literally means "Falling into hell".

6. Spelunker

スペランカー的 - "Spelunker-teki". This can be used with any game, not just Spelunker. It literally means "Spelunker-ish", and refers to any game where you die quickly. A reference to the fact that the Spelunker character dies really easily in that game.

Related Posts

- Dining a la carte: Ice Climber Famicom Japanese

- Famicom History

Famicom History

I'm a big history buff. In real life I do some research that touches on the subject, though I'm in a different field.

I've been wanting to do some articles here on Famicom history for a while and figured I might as well start now. So here goes.

You'll notice that there are a lot of sites that give you the bare facts of the Famicom's history - the dates and names. The best history on the net I've seen is the write up at Game Spy on the 20th anniversary of the console's release. Their (excellent) article though is mainly concerned with the history of the Famicom as a console itself. What I am more interested in is the Famicom's place in Japanese history. What is really missing out there in English is some writing about the Famicom and the people who actually went out, bought the things, played with them, got bored with them and forgot about them back in the day. What place did the Famicom have in Japanese society in the 1980s?

In short, this is not a series about video game history. That has been done to death. It is a series about the Famicom's place in history writ large. This is a subject which has been almost entirely overlooked in the English (and even the Japanese) blogosphere.

Probably a big part of the problem is the sheer difficulty of finding material. Normally I only use photos that I took myself on this blog (with some exceptions), but of course I can't go back in time to the 80s to take such photos, so I'm stuck with free riding off the photos of others for this series, which is a difficult task.

I spent a ton of time trying to find photos of the Famicom actually taken back in the 1980s on the net. If you look around, especially on youtube, you can find videos of original commercials for the Famicom (which are totally awesome, BTW), but not much else. No 'candid' shots. After searching the Japanese internet far and wide the only picture I was able to find was the one above. This came not from a gaming site, but from the website of the Association of Japanese Energy Producers, who used it to show how electricity was used in the 80s. That is how far and wide I had to look!

It seems I'll have to (ugh) start pouring through actual physical media from the day to find more such photos. I'll see what they have at the library...

Anyway, another almost- Famicom photo I found was this one, Akihabara in 1982, on the eve of the Famicom boom:These people didn't know what was about to hit them.

Looks fitting though. Kind of what I imagine 1982 Akihabara to have looked like. The photo comes from the excellent archives section of Akihabara's official site. Even if you can't read Japanese, they have some cool photos of old school stuff in there (just start clicking at random and you are bound to find something).

Anyway, I'll end this post by introducing the "major eras" in Famicom history, as defined by Tatta Hitori no Famicom Shonen, a Japanese Famicom related website. Yeah, I know I said I wasn't going to talk about dates, but for introductory purposes I think these might be useful and of some interest.

The Early Golden Age (1983-1986): Covering the period from the release of the Famicom to the release of the Disk System.

The Middle Golden Age (1987-1989): Covering the period when the Famicom reached its peak to just before the release of the Super Famicom.

The Late Golden Age (1990 - 1994): In the wake of the Super Famicom's release, new Famicom titles continue to be released. To the last officially released Famicom title.

The Famicom Ice Age (1994-1997): Mountains of remaining, unsold inventories of Famicom games sold on the market at discounted prices. Some overlap with the late golden age.

The Renaissance (1998-2003): Famicom games begin to regain their value (on the secondary market). Until the 20th anniversary of the Famicom.

The Second Coming of the Famicom (2004 - Present): The value of the better ("premium") Famicom games go up, while all the other games are dumped at discount prices again. Famiclones make their appearance on the market.

I won't necessarily be following this breakdown by era (I'll only be focusing on the "Golden Age" from 1983 to 1994), but there it is for you. This is a loose translation of the original, with some liberties taken here and there.

Famicom Releases by the Numbers

(statistic source: ファミコンゲーム情報AtoZ)

Welcome to the newly re-designed Famicomblog. I love these new Blog templates that for some reason I've been ignoring for so long.

Anyway, kind of a quickie post here. I was browsing the Japanese Famicom Internet world this morning when I came across this interesting Faminfo blog here. He organized all the Famicom game releases into a single table by year, which I thought was kind of neat.

I thought I'd do something similar in English here, hence the above. Its basically the same info from the Japanese site so if you read Japanese, head over there for the original statistics.

Its kind of interesting to see it in table form like this. A few interesting bits of trivia which it reveals:

-In 1983, the year of its release, the Famicom only had 9 games. The same number were released in 1994, the last year of the console's official life.

-1986 was the first year in which more than 100 games were released for the Famicom. More than 100 games were released for it in each year from 1986 to 1991.

-1988 was the peak in Famicom game releases with 200.

-The number of releases skyrocketed in the period from 1983 until 1987. They then plummeted at an equally fast rate between 1991 and 1994.

There you go. Quick Famicomblog post.

By the way, if my table looks like something I did up in a powerpoint slide, converted to a pdf, and then realized that Blogger doesn't let you upload pdf files so I just took a picture of my computer screen and uploaded that, its because that is exactly what happened.

Emulation Schmemulation: 5 Reasons You Should Own an Old Console

Hey look! My first blog post that is a list of something! Another milestone here at Famicomblog.

My main purpose here (despite the somewhat inflammatory title) isn't to criticize emulators. I actually think they are great and have a lot of respect for the early pioneers who reverse engineered the games back in the day. And I get the attraction. Playing a game on a PC is just insanely convenient. The games are easily accessible, instantly playable and you don’t have to devote a huge chunk of your realty to the storage of tons of old cartridges and consoles. Perfectly reasonable. Switching to emulators to play retro games has even been linked to a 90% reduction in “tripping-over-massive-entanglement-of-console-wires” related injuries in retro gamer living rooms. Probably.

That said, I never play retro games on my PC. Its not a trend that I view favorably as I like to think of "retro-gaming" as a hobby that is about more than just playing the games themselves. Emulators can't emulate all that other stuff. Here I’m going to make my case by showing five things that Emulators can't provide but consoles can.

1. The Thrill of the Hunt

Ironically, having to go out and buy something can actually be a fun experience in and of itself. Being able to download stuff on demand removes the thrill of the hunt from the experience. I’ve noticed this with things like music and movies that I used to procure at actual stores but no longer do. Going to rent a DVD or buy a CD was something that I probably enjoyed as much as actually watching the movie or listening to the album. Downloading is just way too easy and bland an activity for you to get anything out of it.

Case in point: Antarctic Adventure. My experience trying to track down this game is illustrative. When I first got my Famicom that was the game I wanted the most. It was my wife’s favorite game when she was a kid and I knew that buying it for her would put me in her good books. Only problem was that none of the video game shops in town had a copy of it. I ventured near and far looking for a copy of that game, spending god only knows how much time burying my nose in the junk bins, glass cases and racks of Fukuoka’s game stores. For 6 long months I toiled.

My quest was such as to achieve legendary proportions in the Fukuoka gaming community. Clerks at the video game shops in town would see me wandering the aisles. A new guy with a quizzical look on his acne-scarred face would ask “Why is that guy always here? I understand not the purpose of his constant visits.”

“That,” a grizzled veteran shop clerk would reply in a fatherly voice, “is Sean the Wanderer. He is not from this land, but hails from a distant kingdom. He is a man on a quest that brings with it much peril. He seeks a copy of Antarctic Adventure. Boxed if possible, but they say that he is flexible on that issue.”

Then, suddenly, it appeared one day. At 007, they put out a whole bunch of new games and Antarctic Adventure was one of them. My quest was at an end. Sean the Wanderer could finally rest.

Having to spend so much time looking for that game produced two positive results. The first was that I actually enjoyed looking for it. Spending your time looking through quirky stores searching for an obscure item is fun, at least to people like me. You actually get to interact with people and places rather than just sitting in front of a computer. The second was that when I finally got the game, I really appreciated it, and so did my wife. We got a bottle of wine and played that thing for hours, taking turns on each level. It was fun, and a great memory.

Now, if I had just gotten a copy of the game on our PC, it would have been fun for a few minutes and that would have been that. Having to go out and find it though gave me a good 6 months of...well, of something to do at least.

2. The Ritual of the Console

Ritual is an undervalued element of our modern society. We’ve pretty much done away with most of the formalities which used to dominate our lives. Undoubtedly this has been a good thing. I’m an informal kind of guy. I hate suits. But sometimes I do wish I had a bit more ritual in my life. I get some of that from the Famicom.

The ritual of the console is something that emulators can’t emulate. PCs and laptops are just too frigging convenient and well-designed. The ritual of the console can only be achieved by having a bunch of old consoles that are massive pains in the asses to hook up and make work.

Thankfully I just so happen to possess a bunch of such consoles.

The ritual begins with the need to select a console on which to play. Lets go with the Famicom. Now I must first go through the ritual of getting all the right wires hooked up to the TV, as every time I use a different console I switch the wires around.

Then comes the taking out of the Famicom from its little shelf beneath the TV as the controller wires aren’t long enough to reach our sofa otherwise.

Next comes the selection of the cart, done at our lovely wall rack.

Then, the putting in of the cart and switching on of the console.

Grey screen.

To wit: the removal of and blowing on the cart and then trying again.

Grey screen.

Enter: the phase of fidgeting with the cart to get it in just right. Not all the way in, but kind of like almost all the way in. No, more than that. Yeah, like all the way in but just pull back at the last second.

Grey screen.

Swearing, threatening to throw the bloody console out the window. Calming down. Reassuring everyone that you’ve got it. No, really, you know what you are doing. Come on, I’ve got it. OK, go ahead then. Yeah, lets see you try it, smart-ass. Good luck with tha….

Oh shut up.

Anyway, the bottom line is that while the ritual described above is a huge pain in the ass, somehow it is a necessary ritual that heightens one's appreciation for the game. I think this is because it makes the activity of playing the game much more than the simple playing of the actual game itself. Having to go through all of this is part of the experience. Being able to play the game right away, while convenient, removes all of these ritual elements from the experience. You are just playing the game and nothing else.

3. The tactile feel of the real deal.

The physical experience of playing on an old console and actually holding the original controllers in your hand is also something whose value should not be underestimated. Computers just aren’t designed to be used in the same way.

This is something much more than just the design of the controllers, and it is difficult to put into words. It’s the “feel” of them. Somehow your brain knows when you are playing with a real controller. It remembers exactly what they feel like and sends a message subconsciously “this isn’t the real thing” when you try playing a game on something else. I get that feeling when I play on a Famiclone. Even though the controllers are similar to a Famicom’s, they aren’t quite the same. They are just different enough – the amount of resistance when you push the buttons, the weight of the thing, how sensitive it is to your movements, etc – that you notice.

4. Art

This is a pretty simple point which I won't belabor. The box and cover art of the games are some of their most impressive features. Some games which I can't stand playing I really enjoy looking at because of their fine cover art. Of course you can see scans of the box art on your computer, but having the actual thing in your hand is a much different experience. The wear and tear on the carts themselves can also provide a more human touch to the experience of retro gaming than the standard and sterile computer file can.

5. The Joy of Being a Collector

A key difference from the "hobby" perspective is that the retro-gamer who also owns a console is a kind of collector. Emulation of course is also a hobby, and a good one at that, so I certainly don't say that collecting is superior. It is, however, different, and that fact is worthy of consideration.

This point kind of relates to point 1 above - the activities and mindset of a collector are fundamentally different than the activities and mindset of someone who only plays the games. Again, I'm not saying they are better or worse, just that they are different and as such provide a somewhat more in depth experience than solely playing the games do. Having a collection means having things, sorting them, storing them, caring for them, looking for more of them, trading them, etc etc. This is kind of a pain in the ass to some people, but I rather like it.

Conclusion

As I said at the outset, I totally understand the appeal of emulators. My only purpose in this post is to perhaps give those of you out there who restrict yourselves to playing retro games on the PC some food for thought. Apologies for the profanity, but it needs to be said that owning an old console is pretty fucking awesome, despite all the headaches!

Related Posts:

- Famicom Cart Condition: Why Good is Bad and I’ll Never Buy Sealed Stuff

- Why the Famicom Has Aged Well Part 1: Imagination

- Why the Famicom Has Aged Well Part 2: No Planned Obsolescence