If you saw Episode #11 of A Little Bit On The Awesome Show, then you already got a sneak peek of the VGXPO that took place in Philly this past weekend. Aside from getting some footage for the show, I also got some pictures of all the import goodies that the various vendors had on display.
If imported gaming treasures like the Wonderswan, Famicon, Twin Famicom, and candy-colored arcade buttons tend to speed up your breathing or heart rate, you might want to keep a glass of cold water next to you as you read this.
Ah, the holiest of holies. The original Famicom System (short for Family Computer System), better known as the Nintendo Entertainment System to those of us in the states. I always thought that the Famicom looked way sexier than the original NES. Supposedly, Nintendo changed up the design for other countries to make the system look less like a toy and more like a computer.
That box underneath is the Famicom Disk System. The system ran off of either a C battery or you could just plug it into a wall. The big deal with the Disk System was the fact that it actually let players save their progress in a game. Popular games like Zelda and Metroid actually came out for the Disk system before cartridge-saving technology existed. The Zelda and Metroid that we all know and love today are actually ported from the Disc versions.
Fun fact: The disk system was actually in production up until 2003, just six years before the time of this writing!
*UPDATE*
As Marc D from The BBPS points out in the comments, the above Famicom is actually a bootleg! The original Famicom says “Family Game Computer” followed by the Nintendo logo, not “Family Game.”
This is the Famicom Twin Disk System. basically just a Famicom with the disk system built-in. Interestingly, the Twin Disk System was released by Sharp, not Nintendo. There’s also an ultra-rare orange version.
I could have ogled at this case for hours. Although they were asking the crazy sum of $99.99 for a Neo Geo Pocket Color (I got mine for $40!), this particular vendor had an amazing Wonderswan collection. They even had the special edition white WonderSwan that came bundled with Final Fantasy!
If you look above the One Piece game, you can spot Guilty Gear Petit, a portable Guilty Gear game featuring chibi versions of the fighters and a nurse chick with a giant needle who was never featured in any of the other Guilty Gear games as far as I know.
For those who don’t know, the WonderSwan is a handheld console that was only released in Japan. Two later versions, the WonderSwan Color and the SwanCrystal, were also developed, but none them were backlit.
The WonderSwan was created by Gunpei Yokoi, the same man responsible for creating the Game & Watch, Game Boy, and Virtual Boy. Sadly enough, Gunpei never got the chance to see the final version of his WonderSwan. He was killed in a car accident in 1997, just two years before the WonderSwan was released.
Judgement Silversword. Judgment. Fucking. Silversword.
This game is the crème de la crème of WonderSwan titles. It’s not only considered to be one of the best bullet hell shmups to ever grace a handheld system, but it’s strongly considered one of greatest shooters of all time. That’s probably why it’s being sold for a hefty $169.99.
If you’re a fan of the shooter genre, I highly advise you to check out some videos of this game on YouTube. I dare you not to drool, even just a little.
One of the vendors at the VGXPO was selling imported games for current gen systems like the Wii and PS3. The above sign was spotted by Wii games and it reads, “Wii Japan – Ask how to play it on your Wii.”
I pretended to be clueless and I asked. Without missing a beat, the asian kid behind the counter was telling me how to get the Homebrew Channel running on my Wii and ow to use gecko to run imports.
Shady practices that tiptoe along the lines of legality and non-legality? Maybe. Awesome? Yes!
The same vendor had this copy of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya game for Wii and it even comes bundled with a Fraulein Revoltech!
They also had this Arcana Heart 2 arcade stick for the PS2. For those who don’t know, Arcana Hart is an amazingly cute 2D fighting game featuring a girls-only cast of characters. Basically, you can expect LOTS of short skirts, frilly dresses, and thigh-highs. Every moe/lolita fetish can be found in this game.
This display of Sanwa arcade parts is nothing short of gorgeous. It’s a candy-coated array of pure visual sex. I probable stared at this display longer than any sane person should.
Here’s the special edition Game Boy Micro that comes bundled with Mother 3. I was tempted to ask the vendor if I could peek inside the box, but I assumed he’d say no. I was also scared I’d drop it or something.
Oh, and does that font on the price tag look familiar to anyone? *peeks up at Albotas.com header*
Doki Doki Majo Shinpan Duo!!! This is actually the limited edition box set which includes two figures, a soundtrack, and some other cool stuff.
This is the sequel to the DS game that puts you in the role of a witch hunter. As a witch hunter, it’s your job to grope, rub, and feel up all the girls in your high school to look for their “magic spots” using your stylus the DS touch screen. I actually played a bit of the original and it’s pretty amazing. It’d probably have been even more amazing if I could actually read Japanese.
It’s a shame that this game will most likely NEVER come to the states. Might have something to do with feeling up high school girls…
Not only did the VGXPO have a good deal of import games, but they also had strategy guides to go along with them! And people were buying them! I wonder if they could actually read Japanese and were buying them to use, or strictly for collection purposes.
Am I not as cool of a nerd for not knowing Japanese? Is my geek cred less relevant?
This is the limited GameCube controller only available to Japanese Club Nintendo members. Is it just me, or does $100 seem like a little too much to spend on a controller?
…
Looking over these pictures, I really wish a I had a real job and more money. Blogging really doesn’t provide the sort of funds that lets one splurge on things like shiny arcade buttons, underage girl-groping DS games, and Famicom systems.
There’s always next year.
