The Famicom Disk System (or the Family Computer Disk System to give its full title) released in Japan — and Japan only — on 21st February 1986. This Famicom add-on came with a wave of new games on bespoke Nintendo-branded floppy discs which had several advantages over cartridges at the time, plus one or two drawbacks. Load times from discs were an issue (then as now), and you're far more likely to come across a non-functioning FDS disc these days than you are a Famicom cartridge.
However, durability aside, the Famicom Disk System offered cheap memory for developers to use and expanded the functionality of the base console. An extra audio channel enabled games with a richer soundscape and thanks to the its innate ability to write data to discs, it was possible to save your game and return to it later — a feature that wouldn't become common on cartridges until later thanks to the extra cost of battery-powered save memory (password systems were often used as an inelegant compromise on carts).
The Famicom Disk System had exclusives, of course — games like Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (which would famously be adapted to become Super Mario Bros. 2 in the West), Otocky and The Mysterious Murasame Castle are particular highlights — although the majority of its biggest games would be adapted to the cartridge format before long. In honour of its 35th anniversary (which it shares with a certain game at the bottom of this list), we've picked out eight games which came to the NES in the West that we think were probably better on FDS.
When it comes to NES games, there's a lot of nostalgia involved and we love the western versions of nearly all of the games below to death. Still, we still think that Japanese gamers got the slightly better versions of these classics. Let us know your thoughts in the usual place.
Fair warning — there's lots of discussion about musical variations, extra wavetable synth channels and save systems versus passwords to come...
Castlevania (NES)
'Better' is a subjective term, of course. As a disc-based system (sorry, disk-based system), the FDS release of Castlevania has load times not present on the cartridge version. However, on balance we'd take the original Akumajou Dracula (the game also came out on Famicom cartridge in 1993) over the western one thanks to the convenience of saving your progress.
The ability to save comes with three save slots, each of which you assign a name when starting in typical fashion. The name you use in the FDS version is added to the credits at the end of the game, which is a neat touch. For example:
AND THE HERO
SIMON BELMONDOAAA...
It's not a game-changer, but it's these little things which arguably make the FDS version the pick of the bunch.
Metroid (NES)
You'll find several games in this selection are included purely for the fact that the FDS version supported saves. Perhaps you couldn't wait to slip your 'Password Pak' in the slot and input lengthy alphanumerics to pick up where you left off, but we always found it interminable. Metroid on Famicom Disk System might have lacked the ability to play as Samus sans her armour (if you could beat the game in under three hours), but we'll happily forgo seeing the bounty hunter blasting space pirates in a pink leotard if it means not having to copy down multiple 24-digit passwords.
Interestingly, The Cutting Room Floor speculates that Nintendo may have intended to use battery back-up to enable on-cart saves, as opposed to the laborious password system used in the final release.
As we'll hear more about below, the extra wavetable synth channel available on the FDS gave the disk version a richer palette to work with; the absence of the extra onboard sound chip meant audio that used it had to be reworked for the West. The comparison video below highlights how the atmospheric main theme benefitted from the extra sound channel, and the appearance of Samus (1:00) switches from an organ-like hum to a juddering warble on NES. However, the difference on other tracks is less pronounced — Brinstar, for example (scrub to 1:14 and then to 2:00 to hear the difference on that classic).
Also, note how the title screen in the FDS version has a cool blue '3D' logo, not a boring old flat one. Better? Indubitably.
Wrecking Crew (NES)
Hardly a glittering jewel in the Nintendo firmament, Wrecking Crew began life on a standard Famicom cartridge in 1985 before making its way to the Disk System in 1989.
Why dig this particular game out of the rubble for a Disk System encore, you ask? Well, the original game features a level editor which required the use of a Japan-only peripheral — the Famicom Data Recorder — if you wanted to save your creations to an old-school cassette tape (also used to save custom Excitebike and Mach Rider tracks). The FDS version let you do this without the need for the tape deck peripheral and gave Wrecking Crew its very best chance to shine.
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES)
Known as The Legend of Zelda 2: Link no Bouken in Japan, the list of minor differences between Zelda II: The Adventure of Link and the 1987 FDS original is a long one; we thoroughly recommend checking out The Cutting Room Floor's comprehensive round-up of regional differences.
However, for us the fact that the Famicom Disk System version had animated water on the overworld map is pretty significant. The top down sections of the game — admittedly zoomed-out compared to the view from the original Zelda — always struck us as lifeless and rudimentary. The movement of the water, while hardly a revolution, helps add a little life to the otherwise static scenery, and it's amazing the impact that one effect has.
Then there are the musical differences. Here's a comparison of the title screens — make your own judgements...
Kid Icarus (NES)
As we've already established, save slots rule, password systems drool, and Kid Icarus was another FDS game which had saves scrapped for the NES conversion, just like Metroid. The Disk System version — entitled Hikari Shinwa: Palutena no Kagami — also remembers your top five best scores.
Hip Tanaka's brilliant soundtrack also gets the now-customary downgrade/alterations in the West, but other territories also lost out on microphone functionality built into the Famicom's second controller. Originally, you could use this microphone while pressing the 'A' button to 'haggle' with shopkeepers, presumably shouting their ludicrous prices down to something reasonable. Of course, there was no voice-recognition going on here — the mic simply detected loud noises and other audio input and registered it accordingly.
We'll look at another Famicom Disk System title which famously used the microphone later. It might not be a huge addition, but it's a fun addition to an intriguing, if flawed, entry in Nintendo's 8-bit catalogue.
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (NES)
While its reputation for inscrutability and wilful confusion is well-deserved, we've got a soft spot for Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. Perhaps it's the killer soundtrack or the fearlessness of the developers in trying new things, but despite its deceptive villagers who provide obtuse (and often downright misleading) information and its near-total lack of handholding which results in an utterly impenetrable experience unless you use a guide, it's got so much of the series' spirit and we can't help but admire it.
The Famicom Disk System features saves (as opposed to a functional, if inelegant, password system — yes, it was better than nothing but entering passwords ain't our idea of fun). Perhaps the most notable difference is the reworked soundtrack of the western release. Reworked music would be an element of Castlevania III, too, due to the NES not supporting the external VRC6 chip used in the Akumajo Densetsu Famicom cart which added three additional sound channels to play with in the sequel.
We're so familiar with the western version that it's tough to judge if the FDS version is 'better', but check out the comparison of Bloody Tears below to hear the added richness of the original soundtrack. For example, the original intro is clearly emulating the ringing of bells which the NES version doesn't convey at all. They're both rollicking good soundtracks, but the original FDS soundtrack boasts more variety, subtlety and texture.
VS. Excitebike (NES)
This is technically a different, enhanced FDS-exclusive 'sequel' to the original Excitebike with added two-player functionality and extra courses, but we'll bend the rules with this one just to talk about Vs. Excitebike for a bit. The fact that you could actually use the level editor and save your creations in the FDS version makes it the obvious choice if you're enjoying an 8-bit Excitebike on original hardware.
As we mentioned earlier, the original Famicom Excitebike used the Famicom Data Recorder to save tracks in Japan. That functionality was retained in the NES version with the expectation that a similar peripheral may be released at a later date, although one never materialised. Subsequent Virtual Console re-releases enabled options to save tracks, of course — 3D Classics: Excitebike, for instance — and this Vs. update features totally different music to the original, too. Still, if you're not attached to the original audio, this FDS version offers the full Excitebikin' Monty.
The Legend of Zelda (NES)
The game which shares its birthday with its original host system, the original Famicom Disk System version of Zelda no Densetsu: The Hyrule Fantasy (as The Legend of Zelda is known at home) might feature some questionable 'Engrish' and lack some of the subtle refinements that would manifest over the years in multiple re-releases, but it's arguably still the best way to experience the game as it was designed to be played.
Thankfully, Nintendo did splash out for battery-powered save functionality for the NES cart in the West, banishing passwords to the darkness where they belong. However, the soundtrack and audio effects are noticeably richer in the original, which makes a huge difference when you're on an epic quest that is all about atmosphere and adventure — see below for a handy comparison courtesy of Legends of Localization's Clyde Mandelin.
The Famicom's microphone embedded in Player 2's controller was also famously used to defeat the appropriately named Pols Voice, a sound-sensitive rat-mole creature that roam the dungeons and could be destroyed most efficiently by shouting into the mic. It wasn't until Phantom Hourglass that Zelda fans in the West were able to give these enemies a sound thrashing with an aural blast into their DS microphones.
A big thanks to The Cutting Room Floor, which proved invaluable when researching the differences between the versions of the games above. If you're interested in seeing some of these Famicom Disk System games in action, we recommend checking out Jeremy Parish's 30th anniversary look at the system.
Have you played the FDS versions of any of the games above? Let us know below.
Comments 45
Sorry, but no, Simon's Quest is better on NES. Those FDS load times KILL the experience.
Simon’s Quest and Metroid both have received excellent hacks over on romhacking.net. I play those versions.
Metroid got a hack that lets you save the game by pressing up + A + select on player 2, just like a Zelda game. It also adds a map and lets you combine beams. Keeps everything else so it really enhances the experience.
Castlevania 2...oh boy, they went ham on this hack, adding save functionality, an in-game map, better localization, the day and night screen transition happens seamlessly during gameplay, and more.
Adding hacks to a rom is super easy, there’s a tool on their website that does it all for you, so it’s very user friendly.
Amazingly, if you have a way to do it, these hacks will run on actual NES hardware, so if you know how to patch cartridges, you will have some superior versions of games, like Gradius 3’s SR-1 hack.
Nintendo Life might want to do an article of “10 NES games that are better, hacked,” feature...
It would be great to see a feature on Rockman 4 Minus Infinity!
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Nice and interesting article. Thanks. I've just modded a Famicom for RGB and will be looking to do some creative format shifting with these titles
I really prefer the FDS soundtracks for a lot of games. They totally benefit from the extra sound channel.
In case anyone wants to hear the whole FDS Castlevania II soundtrack:
https://www.zophar.net/music/nintendo-nes-nsf/castlevania-2-simons-quest-1987
The 3D Classics version of Kid Icarus for the 3DS is more like the FDS version since it also does not have the password system.
Does anyone else just skip the article and go to straight to the comments? I know I do.
HE IS TOLD SHE CAN ONLY AWAKEN WITH THE NO. 3 TRY-FORCE SEALED IN THE GREAT SANCTUARY AT DISVALLEY.
Oh yes, the Try-force... completing that game without a guide in the '80s or '90s, you would indeed learn about the Try Force...
I definitely disagree on Simon's Quest. I personally find the NES soundtrack on that one much better than the Famicom Disk one, it really annoyed me how they decided to add one of my favorite tracks in the series Dwelling of Doom into Smash but then they opted for the terribad famicom version over the NES one.
Castlevania 3 however has a much better soundtrack on the Famicom and is just a much better balanced version of the game to boot.
Hip Tanaka, the Metroid composer, has said that "I wanted to create the sound without any distinctions between music and sound effects". The FDS soundtrack might sound richer at points, and even more beautiful, but I feel like the NES version actually meets that goal more faithfully (especially for the title theme), due to the sound system's limitations.
That title theme reflects the game so well. Harsh, spare, haunting, but growing more beautiful as you play it... yet never relenting in that hard, even monotonous core underneath, as that droning at the end will tell you. Bold vision!
The best version of the Castlevania 2 track would be the main music from the FDS version with the "drum synth" noise from the NES. FDS misses having any driving beats like the NES has
I’d say the cartridge release of Castlevania in Japan was the best version as it added and easy mode!
Simon doesn’t get knocked back when hit by enemies and you can keep your power-ups. I found it invaluable in learning how to beat the game.
I've recently been looking into patching my favorite nes games with the these hacks. Metroid has one where you can fix the character sprite to look closer to her later design from super metroid. With that and the added map plus the famicom soundtrack and saving it's the perfect version! The original felt so rushed and what were they thinking not adding a map?
This is precisely why, in many cases, I play the Japanese Famicom/SFC apps on the Switch instead of the NES/SNES app - to experience games as originally intended.
Nowadays old games with passwords actually work kinda better. You can save these games with passwords until the end of time, but the battery's gonna deplete sooner or later... And we're at a point when it's sooner than later.
@Krisi I totally agree. I have lots of old carts with battery saves and all I think of now is how much work it is to replace them all. I actually like it when I find an old game uses passwords. I can’t believe some N64 and GBA games used batteries too. Of course with things like flash carts you get the convenience of battery saves without the need for battery maintenance!
I also don’t understand why Microsoft get stick for having AA batteries in their controllers. At least it’s easy to replace those batteries as long as AA batteries are still around. Good luck finding replacement batteries for all the Sony and Nintendo wireless controllers down the line.
Actually all vintage games are better on the NES Classic Mini, where I always have save states. I also have the best version of each game. I have the hacked version of Castlevania II which removes most of the dreaded flaws of the game, and a hack of Gauntlet in which your health doesn't decrease like a countdown (a feature that made sense only in the arcades). Double Dragon III (NES) is a terrible game in its original state, but becomes a masterpiece in the hacked version. Games from the late 80s and early 90s were butchered because of the rental business which existed in many parts of the USA. Those games are void of fun unless hacked.
Did you guys play these for this write-up ? Simon's Quests load times make it impossible to make a case for it over the NES version , even if for some reason you liked the OST better (which I doubt most people would ).
I'd suggest simply writing about the romhacking.net fan enhancements people have made to the NES versions that incorporate FDS features
So were there any super famicom games better than the USA versions or did they have extra sound channels on there like with Nes?
"'WHAT A HORRIBLE NIGHT TO HAVE A CURSE'? How about I just take the controller away from you for five seconds!?"
Getting knocked into another screen (which means LOADING TIME! And remember to double it for the return trip) makes that Horrible Night complaint look weak.
@BloodNinja I thought the Metroid map hack used Lua scripting, which makes it an emulator enhancement.
The one thing I will say on that Castlevania II "localization" is the author was committed to his belief that everything wrong in the official translation (even the deliberately false hints) was because Konami's translators were inept so he dug until he could force a "correct" translation out of every line.
The translation he wrung out of the "graveyard duck" line involved some slang that I've heard was so archaic even many Japanese people might not know what he was talking about.
@Zeldafan79 A USA SNES is literally a Super Famicom with a different case. Aside from the physical cart shape they are 100% compatible.
Zelda 1 and 2 are definitely better on the NES. Famicom Zelda 1 has awful load times and Famicom Zelda 2 makes you lose levels when you game over. The minor advantages are not nearly enough to make up for that.
I agree with everything else though.
@KingMike
Oh LOL I guess I didn't know squat about the super famicom. Good to know.
@KingMike This particular hack is the one I'm referencing, the description says it works on a cart:
http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/1186/
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Question. How do you use the microphone functionality on the famicom app on switch?
I'm glad to see Metroid is included, but why is there no mention of the impact on actual gameplay? In the FDS version, the extra RAM allowed many enemies to switch between multiple states while on the screen. Ridley had near and far fireballs; the enemies that jumped out of lava could jump at different heights each jump; the volcanos in Norfair could shoot projectiles in both directions in the same volley. In the NES port, each enemy is locked into a single state until it is killed or respawns. As a result, the FDS version can be much harder.
To my ears the sound difference is negligible. Sure there places here and there that are better but I think the lack of a microphone and depth of games was the real issue in the beginning.
I just want save states and rewind on my NES games. That's what makes them playable. Maybe pursuits will hollow that you aren't getting the "true experience," but frankly, I don't have the time or the patience for most NES games now. Writing down long, convoluted passwords? No thanks. Playing a 2-3 hour game with no save feature or password system in one sitting? (Hi, Blaster Master) Don't have time for that. Dealing with cheap one hit kills and starting all the way over because I ran out of continues? I'll pass on that. It's made games like Blaster Master, Mega Man, Kid Icarus, Ghost 'N Goblins much more tolerable, and actually fun.
FDS Metroid doors sound like Samus is being farted through them.
I'm unsure if the haggling mechanic is retained, but the 3DS eShop version of Kid Icarus I believe was based on the FDS version (including the save feature and the FM version of the soundtrack).
@bagajr Though as compensation, the NES version of Zelda II requires like 30% more EXP to reach the maximum though.
NES Zelda II made some enemies only able to be defeated with the Fire spell, which seems to be kind of a cheap thing.
(the same NPC actually refers to both of those version-exclusive game mechanics)
Also GAME OVER RETURN OF GANNON.
I own five of the eight.
Pro tip: the Famicom Mini versions (GBA) of Zelda, Zelda 2, Metroid, Kid Icarus, Castlevania and others are based on the Famicom Disk system versions of each game, enhanced soundtrack included.
@KingMike I think the amount of EXP needed on NES is just right, I always end up reaching max level at or before the final palace before the Great Palace. Either way it's a lot better than losing multiple levels instead of just your current exp. I actually like Tektites being weak to Fire, because that spell is pretty useless otherwise.
That's just me though.
I wish we would have gotten a version of the FDS.
But it makes sense why we didn’t. By the time the FDS would have been ready for a US release (1988) bank switching and MMC chips had made the disks’ 112kb storage obsolete.
Also Contra was better as well with cutscenes and animated trees etc
@Guitario Maybe, but I think people would probably watch the cutscenes once and skip them.
I had considered getting a Famicom copy before, but especially at whatever hundred dollars sellers ask now, I don't think is worth it.
@Paulo I'm pretty sure Zelda 1 was the cartridge version. The last 10 games (Vol. 21-30) was the FDS collection.
Also, only the standalone Metroid was the FDS version. The Japanese version of Zero Mission still contained the NES version of the game as an unlockable.
(unfortunately not the case with the western Mini Metroid. You were literally buying an unlockable separately.)
Castlevania II: I think both versions of the soundtrack have their good points but the FDS's loading transitions between town and not town are a bit much. Probably more manageable on modern ports than on the FDS itself, but still not good if you get knocked into or out of town.
Castlevania 1: A save system is nice but the game's not really long enough to need one and the 1993 Famicom cart version's extremely forward-thinking easy mode is far more valuable.
Kid Icarus: This one also has a mechanically different final level (YMMV on whether or not that's better or worse) and a unique worst ending that takes some effort to get.
Zelda II: This does have you lose any levels higher than your lowest level stat on Game Over, but with the handy dandy rewind feature of Switch Online the game is a lot more palatable 'cuz levelling takes less XP. Just watch your keys in the third dungeon, though; you do not want to be unable to get the raft in a version where the fairy can't pick up things 'cuz you have to STAB THEM.
@COVIDberry He is a fascinating composer/musician. Check out his Chip Tanaka work if you haven't. I think the Super Metroid intro came to him when he was riding his motorbike or car?
Interesting read actually
@GravyThief Yeah, N64 carts use either batteries or the Controller Pak to save.
Do any GBA games use battery saves though? I thought they all have flash memory. Some of them do have batteries inside, like some Pokémon games, but they only use them for the in-game clock, and not for actual saving. Most counterfeit GBA games save with batteries, but that's a different matter. I've even seen a fake Professor Layton for the DS that had a battery in it.
And I agree about the Xbox controllers, it's actually much better in the long run that they use replacable AA batteries.
@Krisi yeah there is a small handful of genuine GBA games that use battery saves. Metroid Fusion and Metroid Zero Mission spring to mind. Not all copies have them though (unfortunately mine do), and they’re not counterfeit either. But you’re right, most do use flash memory for saving thankfully, and obviously by the DS era they were a thing of the past.
I just remembered, even consoles have batteries too! PS2 and Gamecubes use them for their internal clocks, and they’re a pig to change.
@Krisi Some N64 games use flash memory to save. My copy of Mario 64 uses flash, but F-Zero uses battery backup. Both 100% authentic, I know what to look for.
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@GravyThief Yep! And PCs still have a battery for CMOS!
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Holy cow both Zelda tunes playing simultaneously sounded righteous.
@nessisonett That's an interesting that you would mention the FDS soundchip having any extra channel. That's because the Castlevania 2 tracks are completely missing the percussion sounds from the cartridge release. Sometimes it's not what you can do, but how ya use it. NES Simon's Quest sound wins in this case. However, Japan version of Castlevania 3 DOES have the better soundtrack. (Also has difficulty options which is a good feature.)
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