Frequently Asked Questions

Disclaimer:

What is the Super Famicom?

What is the Anime Super Famicom Web Resource Center all about?

Can I play Super Famicom games on my Super Nintendo?

Do I need an adaptor?

Where can I get Super Famicom import games?

Aren't Super Famicom imports expensive?

What about the Japanese instructions? I can't read Japanese!

Where can I download SNES ROMS?

Was there ever a use for the expansion port under the console?

What is this Super Famicom Disk System I've heard about?

Whatever happened to the Super Famicom CD-ROM system?

Where can I find out more about anime related video games?

I'd like to contribute a review for the Anime SFC Web Resource Center. How do I go about doing this?

A: Yes. Unlike other game systems like the Sony Playstation where you must alter the circuitry in order to have it play imports, your Super Nintendo is 100% compatible with Super Famicom imports from Japan. SFC cartridges can fit into the slot on a SNES console (see below). However, you cannot play SNES games on a SFC console, due to square-shaped SNES cartridge and the curved shape of the slot on the SFC console. You would have to dismantle the SNES cartridge to be able to plug it in.

However, if you must have a converter, I suggest that you try buying one on either eBay or at Lik-Sang.

A: Unfortunately as time goes by, Super Famicom games are becoming increasingly difficult to find. However, the Internet is probably your best bet on finding SFC games, aside from going to Japan yourself and buying them there. You may have seen advertisements on the newsgroups for a company called Buy-Rite. I have ordered from them a few times and have been satisfied, but the number of people who have been ripped off by them are overwhelming. With such a company that has a notorious reputation of ripping people off, all I can say is beware. It's up to you to gamble with them, but I strongly discourage it. However, National Console Support is an honest place where you can still buy SFC imports. They have a moderately sized, yet interesting selection. Also take a look at my Links page for some other places to buy SFC games.

****Your best bet is probably searching online auctions such as ebay and Yahoo Auctions. This is a pretty good way to find import games for any game console. amazon.com also features auctions, but it seems like most import games and games in general are being sold on the first two sites mentioned.

Occasionally, you may see people trading Super Famicom games on rec.arts.anime.games and rec.arts.anime.marketplace. If you aren't familiar with some of the newsgroup jargon, "WTB" means "Want To Buy" and "FS/FT" means "For Sale or For Trade." Everything depends on the integrity of the other person. There's plenty of people on the Net who are trustworthy, but there are others out there who have a hard time with some of the Ten Commandments (primarily the ones about lying and stealing). If you decide to do business on the newsgroups, be prudent. That's all I can say. Fortunately though, most people these days sell their games through online auction sites (such as those mentioned in the above paragraph) and post ads for their auctions in newsgroups such as rec.arts.anime.games. This maximizes the sellers' profits, and it adds security for the buyer through the website's guarantee.

Please, don't e-mail me with requests for specific games. The Anime Super Famicom Web Resource Center is not a business that sells games, nor is it a service that finds imports for you. And I'm not the kind of guy who sells or trades his own games. When I buy a game, it's mine to keep. I've bought import SFC games from import gaming sites like Buyrite, GameNest and YOKOM. Once upon a time, both GameNest and YOKOM were private side-businesses on the Internet that sold anime games and other imports at fair prices. Unfortunately, they are now only a nostalgic memory for those who once did business with them. But most of my import games I have bought in Japan.

A: This is something you must always be careful about when deciding on buying a Japanese import game. The reviews on the Anime Super Famicom page will indicate whether the game requires Japanese reading ability in order to play it. Your best source of English translations/walkthroughs for popular Super Famicom games is GameFaqs.com. More than likely, you can find what you're looking for there. If you are looking for a game that is not listed there, I think your best bet is to post a message to rec.arts.anime.games, alt.games.video.import.japanese, or possibly also fj.rec.games.video.home.superfamicom (although this one is primarily meant for discussions in Japanese). Ask about the game, and there might be somebody who knows what you are talking about. I've done this several times, and I've had no problems with getting replies. The same people would probably also know how to play the game, so they can supply you with instructions.

Knowing how to read Katakana can be a big help. Katakana is the Japanese style of writing primarily reserved for words that are foreign to the Japanese language. Katakana is fairly recognizable in that it is basically scripted in (more or less) straight lines. I have been able to understand the basics of game play this way. When I first got my Ranma 1/2: Super Battle game, I was able to understand all of the moves by knowing how to read "kiku" (kick) and "panchi" (punch). I learned how to use the super moves by reading the FAQ. But once again, ask if you need help if you can't read Japanese. And when it comes to on-screen text, don't buy a game that requires Japanese reading ability if you don't know Japanese unless you are very patient and want to spend hours at a time using the trial and error method. Some games, such as Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie, have all of their on-screen text in English.

Q:Was there ever a use for the expansion port under the console?

A: Yes, there was a use for this mysterious expansion port, at least in Japan. There is a peripheral called the Satellaview that plugged into this expansion port, and the Super famicom rode piggyback on top of it. This device allowed players to download games through satellite signals at certain times of the day and save them to small Game Boy-style cartridges. Apparently there was an exclusive 16-bit version of the original Zelda game that could be played on the Super Famicom! You can find good sources of information on the Satellaview by doing a search on Google.

The proposed Super Famicom CD-ROM system was also supposed to utilize this expansion port.

A: A Super Famicom Disk System is an augmentation that fits onto your SNES/SFC console, just like a Sega Genesis CD or 32X or an Atari Jaguar CD does. But instead of a CD drive, it's a disk drive. It uses 3.5" disks, and it plugs into the cartridge slot. I'm not sure, but there might be others that connect to the expansion port on the bottom of the SNES. All I know is that it is a facility that allows you to copy your SFC/SNES games onto disk, and it allows you to run the games from these disks. And of course, you can run downloaded ROMS on the disk system from the floppy disks or downloaded from your computer through a parallel port connector (if the disk system supports that). The disk system that set the standard for ROMs was the Super Magicom, but the most popular disk system for the SNES/SFC is the Super Wildcard DX. The main reason why there is a Super Famicom Disk System is for the backup of games, but of course it results in piracy. Unlike the 8-bit Famicom Disk System that was made by Nintendo (a peripheral never released outside of Japan), the Super Famicom Disk System is made by unofficial, unlicensed companies. There were games that were exclusive to the Famicom Disk System, such as Metroid, Legend of Zelda and Dirty Pair. There used to be vending machines in Japan that would copy such games onto disk for customers. I think Nintendo never released an official Super Famicom Disk System due to the piracy issue that arose with the first disk system. I have no idea where to get a Super Famicom Disk System, so please don't ask me. For more information on various disk systems, check out this site.

Thanks to Luis Cruz and David Snyder for giving me some information on this topic and correcting me on a few points.

Q: Whatever happened to the Super Famicom CD-ROM system? A: In the early ninties, I remember reading in Video Games and Computer Entertainment magazine about a forthcoming CD-based add-on for the Super Famicom, and for the longest time it was delayed. Nintendo had struck deals with both Sony and Philips to design a CD-ROM add-on for the Super Famicom, and bounced back and forth between the two companies. In the end, Nintendo was without a CD-ROM add-on, and basically, the Sony Playstation was the result. To the right is a picture of the Sony prototype, scanned from the April 2000 issue of Next Generation Magazine. It may be difficult to see (click on the image to enlarge), but this unit has a rainbow colored "PlayStation" logo (same font and everything as the modern PlayStation) with the Sony name cleary visible in the center, with a Super Famicom controller also featuring the Sony name. At the time, who would've known that Sony would rise to dominate the video game market? For much better information on the history and specs on this and other cool add-ons, visit Super Famicom Central. This page also shows a picture of the another prototype that was designed to utilize the expansion port on the bottom of the console.

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A: Check out the Anime Videogame Resource Center. It's a great source of information for anime video games, for all gaming systems. If you are curious about some information on anime related video games not reviewed on the Super Famicom Web Resource Center, check out Ken Arromdee's Anime Video Games Listing (originally compiled by Steve Pearl), and of course, take a look at rec.arts.anime.games and ask any questions you may have. Also, be sure to check out my own links page.

A: If you would like to contribute a review, by all means let me know. Several people have done this so far. Look at the rating guide for the suggested way to rate the game in different categories. You don't really need to include all the categories, nor do you necessarily have to follow this rating system, since it is just a suggestion. The review itself doesn't need to be totally in-depth, it could only be a few sentences for each category. For an objective review you only need to tell a little about the game itself, what you liked about the game and what you didn't like, and your overall impression. No big deal; pretty painless. Or if you wish, you can just make a short summary of the game to be included on the Snapshots page. You can make a text file of it and attach it to me in an e-mail, or just include your review in the body of the e-mail itself.

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