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Nintendo · The Complete Library

All Family Computer (Famicom) / NES Games

114 games in the museum — and growing

Genre

Showing 114 of 114 games

World 1-1 teaches jumping, enemies, and mushrooms with zero text. Super Mario Bros. (Famicom, 1985) — Miyamoto called that si ▶

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Super Mario Bros.

スーパーマリオブラザーズ

Platform · 1985

Super Mario Bros. (1985) is the game that defined the side-scrolling platform genre and remains one of the best-selling …

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Yuji Horii showed up as a journalist to cover a game contest in 1982. He entered on a whim. Dragon Quest (1986, Famicom) foll ▶

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Dragon Quest

ドラゴンクエスト

Role-playing game (RPG) · 1986

Dragon Quest (1986) is the game that established the Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) genre on home consoles. Designed …

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Sold 50,000 copies — nearly killed the franchise before it started. Rockman (Famicom, 1987) introduced weapon inheritance and ▶

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Mega Man

ロックマン

Action-platform · 1987

Mega Man (Rockman, 1987) is Capcom's first game designed exclusively for a home console — a deliberate break from the co…

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Sakaguchi chose 'Final' because 'Fighting Fantasy' had a trademark conflict. This last-resort name outlasted everything. Fina

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Final Fantasy

ファイナルファンタジー

Role-playing game (RPG) · 1987

Final Fantasy (1987) was Hironobu Sakaguchi's final gamble. Square was struggling, and Sakaguchi decided that if this ga…

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One Famicom game triggered two theatrical films in the same year. Star Soldier (1986) launched Japan's Caravan circuit — the ▶

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Star Soldier

スターソルジャー

Vertical scrolling shooter · 1986

Star Soldier (1986) is a vertical scrolling shooter, but that is not what makes it matter. What makes it matter is what …

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A programmer forgot to remove his debug shortcut before shipping. Gradius (1986, Famicom) — Konami shooter that gave the worl ▶

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Gradius

グラディウス

Horizontal scrolling shooter · 1986

Gradius (1986) arrived on the Famicom as a port of Konami's 1985 arcade hit — and brought with it something no other Fam…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Gradius II

グラディウスII 〜GOFERの野望〜

Horizontal scrolling shooter · 1988

Gradius II (1988) is the sequel that made the Famicom do more than it was supposed to. Konami brought the arcade game ho…

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Over 300 students were cautioned by police when Dragon Quest III launched in Japan, 1988. Famicom RPG. 1.1 million copies sol ▶

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Dragon Quest III

ドラゴンクエストIII そして伝説へ…

Role-playing game (RPG) · 1988

Released on February 10, 1988, Dragon Quest III became the defining mass cultural event of Japanese gaming. Developed by…

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Marth appeared in Smash Bros. Melee before Western players could buy his game. Fire Emblem (1990, Famicom) — Japan-only for 3 Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light

ファイアーエムブレム 暗黒竜と光の剣

Tactical role-playing game (SRPG) · 1990

Released on April 20, 1990, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light established the tactical RPG as a genre on…

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Nintendo shelved a finished English version in 1990. MOTHER (1989, Famicom) — Itoi's RPG replacing swords with baseball bats. Uncommon ▶

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

MOTHER

MOTHER

Role-playing game (RPG) · 1989

MOTHER went on sale on July 27, 1989. Ape Inc. made it, and it runs on the Famicom. Shigesato Itoi wrote all of its text…

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Yoichi Erikawa wrote it in his own time. By 1988 it reached the Famicom with a folding map of Japan in the box. Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Nobunaga's Ambition

信長の野望・全国版

Historical strategy simulation · 1988

In July 1978, Yoichi Erikawa and his wife Keiko opened a dye and industrial chemicals wholesaler in Ashikaga, Tochigi. T…

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Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A — 30 lives instead of 3. Contra (1988, Famicom) used the Konami Code to make the im

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Contra

魂斗羅

Run and Gun · 1988

Released in 1988, Contra dropped players into a relentless alien-infested war zone armed with nothing but fast reflexes …

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No Famicom action game had used animated cutscenes before. Ninja Gaiden (1988, Famicom/NES) — manga storytelling meets brutal

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Ninja Gaiden

忍者龍剣伝

Action Platformer · 1988

Released in 1988, Ninja Gaiden broke new ground by weaving a cinematic story between its brutal action stages — a first …

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Largest ROM of any licensed NES cartridge — on hardware Nintendo considered obsolete. Kirby's Adventure (1993, Famicom) debut

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Kirby's Adventure

星のカービィ 夢の泉の物語

Action Platformer · 1993

Released in 1993 as one of the Famicom's final great titles, Kirby's Adventure introduced the Copy Ability — Kirby's ico…

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Sunsoft built a custom chip into the cartridge so the music could exist. Gimmick! (1992, Famicom) — physics platformer, Japan Very Rare

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Gimmick!

ミスター・グリム's

Action Platformer · 1992

Released in 1992, Gimmick! is one of the most technically and musically extraordinary games ever made for the Famicom. U…

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A Hollywood film in 1989 existed solely to advertise this game before US launch. Super Mario Bros. 3 (Famicom, 1988) — six ti

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Super Mario Bros. 3

スーパーマリオブラザーズ3

Action / Platform · 1988

Super Mario Bros. 3 is the 1988 Famicom landmark that expanded the Mario formula into a world map structure, themed king…

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No sequel was approved. The team built Mega Man 2 on 20-hour personal days and submitted it anyway. It became the best-sellin

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Mega Man 2

ロックマン2 Dr.ワイリーの謎

Action / Platform · 1988

Mega Man 2 is the 1988 Famicom sequel that transformed Mega Man from a modest debut into a franchise phenomenon. The dev…

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Eight months after launch, Koichi Sugiyama held the world's first video game music concert at Suntory Hall. Dragon Quest II (

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line

ドラゴンクエストII 悪霊の神々

Role-playing · 1987

Dragon Quest II is the 1987 Famicom sequel that introduced party-based combat to the Dragon Quest series, expanding from…

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On the NES, Excitebike's Save and Load never worked. Design Mode still does — you can build a track today. ▶

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Excitebike

エキサイトバイク

Racing / Motocross · 1984

Excitebike went on sale in Japan on November 30, 1984, and Nintendo did not build it alone. A company called SRD worked …

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Co-op in the arcade; none on Famicom. Double Dragon (Technos Japan, 1988) added a one-on-one fighting mode and RPG leveling n

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Double Dragon

ダブルドラゴン

Beat 'em up · 1988

Double Dragon arrived on Famicom in April 1988, one year after its landmark arcade debut. While the arcade original was …

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Capcom assigned the same team behind Mega Man to a Disney duck game in 1989. DuckTales (Famicom) — and the Moon Theme became

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

DuckTales

わんぱくダック夢冒険

Platform / Action · 1990

DuckTales (1989) is one of Capcom's finest NES/Famicom games — a non-linear platformer starring Scrooge McDuck and his p…

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Beat it once and a message appears: this is not the real ending. Ghosts n Goblins (1986, Famicom) — Capcom's bruising two-loo ▶

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Ghosts 'n Goblins

魔界村

Platform / Run and Gun · 1986

Ghosts 'n Goblins (1985/1986) is one of gaming's most famous and brutal platformers — a side-scrolling game where knight…

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Japan's final boss is explicitly Hitler — a reference Nintendo of America removed entirely. Bionic Commando (1988, Famicom) h

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Bionic Commando

ヒットラーの復活 TOP SECRET

Action / Platform · 1988

Bionic Commando (1988) is one of the Famicom/NES era's most mechanically distinctive games — a platformer where the prot…

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Satoru Iwata — later Nintendo's president — programmed Balloon Fight (Famicom, 1985) as an outside contractor. Balloon Trip m ▶

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Balloon Fight

バルーンファイト

Action · 1985

Balloon Fight (1984/1985) is one of Nintendo's most charming early Famicom games — an arcade-style action game where pla…

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The 1985 film was a global hit, but its Famicom game never left Japan. Konami's The Goonies (1986) — North America only got a Uncommon ▶

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

The Goonies

グーニーズ

Action Platformer · 1986

A side-scrolling action game based on the 1985 Columbia Pictures film, released exclusively in Japan on February 21, 198…

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Never re-released on any platform. Layla (1986, Famicom) — dB-SOFT's Japan-only shooter with one of the Famicom's earliest fe Rare

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Layla

レイラ

Shooting / Maze Action · 1986

Released by dB-SOFT in December 1986, Layla is a Japan-only Famicom action game inspired by the Dirty Pair anime. Player…

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Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! ! for Famicom (1987) — Nintendo's iconic boxing game starring real-world champion Mike Tyson as the f

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!

マイクタイソン・パンチアウト!!

Sports / Boxing · 1987

Developed by Nintendo R&D3 and released in 1987, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! transformed boxing into a pattern-recognition …

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Alucard debuted here, then vanished for eight years. Castlevania III (1989, Famicom) — branching paths, four characters, VRC6

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

悪魔城伝説

Action-Platform · 1989

Released in 1989, Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse is the prequel to the original Castlevania, following Trevor Belmont …

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Capcom later admitted Mega Man 3 shipped unfinished. The soundtrack — Top Man, Snake Man — is still cited as the finest in th

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Mega Man 3

ロックマン3 Dr.ワイリーの最期!?

Action-Platform · 1990

Released in 1990, Mega Man 3 expanded the Capcom action-platformer formula with the introduction of the slide move, Rush…

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Two players can pick up and throw each other — not just enemies. Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (1990, Famicom) — Capcom's sharp

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers

チップとデールの大作戦

Platform · 1990

Released in 1990, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers is one of Capcom's finest licensed Disney games — a cooperative platformer…

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Popo and Nana vanished for 16 years, then returned in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Ice Climber (Famicom, 1985) — Nintendo's earli ▶

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Ice Climber

アイスクライマー

Platform · 1985

Released in 1985, Ice Climber is one of Nintendo's earliest Famicom platform games, starring Popo and Nana — a pair of m…

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Walk through dungeons, lead two armies at once. Fire Emblem Gaiden (1992, Famicom) — Japan-only sequel that broke all the rul

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Fire Emblem Gaiden

ファイアーエムブレム外伝

Tactical-RPG · 1992

Released in March 1992, Fire Emblem Gaiden is the second Fire Emblem game and a direct departure from the first — a Japa…

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Once Bo Jackson broke through the line, a touchdown was virtually certain. Tecmo Bowl (NES, 1989) — NFL football reduced to p

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Tecmo Bowl

テクモボール

Sports ·

Originally an arcade American football game in 1987, Tecmo Bowl became a phenomenon on the NES and Famicom through its a…

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Every RPG of 1987 sent heroes to slay demons. Atlus's first game let you negotiate with them instead. The game that started P Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei

デジタル・デビル物語 女神転生

RPG · 1987

Released in September 1987, Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei was Atlus's first video game and the origin of a franchis…

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Yuji Horii wrote Portopia in 1983. The command menu invented for its 1985 Famicom version became the exact interface he used ▶

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

The Portopia Serial Murder Case

ポートピア連続殺人事件

Adventure / Mystery · 1985

In June 1983 Yuji Horii finished a murder mystery written for NEC's PC-6001, and Enix put it on sale. The player is a de…

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Koichi Nakamura wrote it in high school. Enix's first Famicom game (1985), Door Door led directly to Dragon Quest. Japan-only ▶

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Door Door

ドアドア

Puzzle / Action · 1985

Door Door is a 1985 puzzle-action game developed by Koichi Nakamura and published by Enix as the company's first Famicom…

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Nobuo Uematsu's third game composition ever. Kings' Knight (1986, Square) — the year before he wrote Final Fantasy. Famicom a ▶

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

King's Knight

キングスナイト

Action / Shooter · 1986

King's Knight is a 1986 vertical-scrolling action game published by Square for the Famicom — one of the company's earlie…

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Nobuo Uematsu scored a racing game the same year he wrote Final Fantasy. Square's Highway Star / Rad Racer (1987, Famicom) —

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Rad Racer

ハイウェイスター

Racing · 1987

Rad Racer is a 1987 racing game developed and published by Square — known in Japan as Highway Star — featuring pseudo-3D…

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Same year as Final Fantasy II. Same studio. Nobuo Uematsu composed it. Hanjuku Hero (1988, Famicom) — Square's self-aware com

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Hanjuku Hero

半熟英雄

Simulation / Strategy RPG · 1988

You are a king who cannot fight. What you can do is throw an egg. Something hatches, walks off across a map where the cl…

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Sold 1.1 million copies and never left Japan. Konami Famicom 1987 — Getsu Fuuma Den blends side-scrolling action with RPG ove Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Getsu Fuuma Den

月風魔伝

Action RPG · 1987

Getsu Fuuma Den (1987) is one of Konami's most distinctive Famicom titles: a hybrid action game that blends side-scrolli…

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Torneko the merchant starred in a spin-off that launched the Mystery Dungeon franchise. Dragon Quest IV (1990, Famicom) inven

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen

ドラゴンクエストIV 導かれし者たち

Role-playing game (RPG) · 1990

Released on February 11, 1990, Dragon Quest IV was the final and most ambitious Dragon Quest on the Famicom. Its revolut…

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Advance Wars (2001) borrowed maps from here. Famicom Wars — Japan-only Famicom strategy, 1988 — was called original by the We Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Famicom Wars

ファミコンウォーズ

Turn-based strategy · 1988

Released on August 12, 1988 exclusively in Japan, Famicom Wars is the turn-based strategy game that quietly launched one…

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Hayao Miyazaki worked on the film this is based on. Capcom's Little Nemo for Famicom (1990) — feed candy to animals, wear the Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Little Nemo: The Dream Master

パジャマヒーロー NEMO

Action-platformer · 1990

Released in North America in September 1990 and Japan on December 7, 1990, Little Nemo: The Dream Master is a Capcom act…

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America changed the story to a boy chasing his pet frog. Blaster Master (1988, Famicom) — same tank, different universe from Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Blaster Master

超惑星戦記メタファイト

Action-platformer · 1988

Released in Japan on June 17, 1988 as Chō Wakusei Senki Metafight, Blaster Master is a Sunsoft action game celebrated fo…

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49 secret rooms hidden inside 48 main stages — find them by destroying the exact right blocks. Solomon's Key (1986, Famicom) Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Solomon's Key

ソロモンの鍵

Puzzle-platformer · 1986

Released in arcades and on Famicom in 1986, Solomon's Key is a puzzle-platformer designed by Michitaka Tsuruta at Tecmo …

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Chocobo was nearly cut — Sakaguchi originally rejected it. Final Fantasy II (1988, Famicom) — Japan-only; party members die f Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Final Fantasy II

ファイナルファンタジーII

Role-Playing Game · 1988

Final Fantasy II, released exclusively in Japan in December 1988, rewrote the rules of its own franchise after just one …

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Nasir Gebelli's airship code was so intricate, nobody could port it for 16 years. Final Fantasy III (1990, Famicom) — Japan-o Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Final Fantasy III

ファイナルファンタジーIII

Role-Playing Game · 1990

Final Fantasy III, released in Japan in April 1990, introduced the Job System — the ability for players to freely change…

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70,000 fans designed the bosses. Each winner received a gold cartridge. Mega Man 4 (Famicom, 1991) introduced the charge shot

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Mega Man 4

ロックマン4 新たなる野望!!

Action Platformer · 1991

Mega Man 4, released in December 1991, introduced the Mega Buster charge shot — hold the fire button to release a more p…

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Nintendo prototyped it as 'Virus' with no Mario character at all. Dr. Mario (Famicom, 1990) — Gunpei Yokoi's puzzle, Hirokazu

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Dr. Mario

ドクターマリオ

Puzzle · 1990

Dr. Mario, released simultaneously on Famicom and Game Boy in July 1990, challenges players to eliminate viruses by drop…

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Spending dropped cash on books that teach combat moves — Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari (1989, Famicom) invented the brawler-RP

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

River City Ransom

ダウンタウン熱血物語

Beat-em-up / Action RPG · 1989

Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari — released internationally as River City Ransom — was the first entry in Technos Japan's Ku…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Spelunker

スペランカー

Action Platformer · 1985

Spelunker, released in December 1985, is a cave exploration platformer famous for one thing above all: the protagonist d…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Super Dodge Ball

熱血高校ドッジボール部

Sports / Action · 1988

Super Dodge Ball — Nekketsu Koukou Dodgeball-bu in Japan — was the second entry in Technos Japan's Kunio-kun franchise a…

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Wrecking Crew (1985) shipped with a level editor 30 years before Super Mario Maker. Saving it needed the Data Recorder — neve ▶

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Wrecking Crew

レッキングクルー

Action Puzzle · 1985

Wrecking Crew reached Famicom shops on June 18, 1985, with music by Hirokazu Tanaka. The game is a hundred single-screen…

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Tecmo branded this "Tecmo Theater Vol. 3" internally. Ninja Gaiden II (Famicom, 1990) — shadow clone mechanic, more cutscenes

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos

忍者龍剣伝II 暗黒の邪神剣

Action Platformer · 1990

Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos, released in April 1990, continued the series' groundbreaking use of anime-styl…

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On December 22, 1988 Tetris arrived in Japanese living rooms. Nobody yet knew who was allowed to sell it there. Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Tetris

テトリス

Puzzle · 1988

Bullet-Proof Software put Tetris in Japanese living rooms on December 22, 1988 — the first version of the game ever sold…

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▶

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Xevious

ゼビウス

Vertical Scrolling Shooter · 1984

Xevious, released for the Famicom in November 1984, was one of the system's earliest third-party releases and one of the…

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Lode Runner's enemy robots later became Bomberman. Hudson Soft's 1984 Famicom port sold 1.2 million in Japan — one of the fir ▶

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Lode Runner

ロードランナー

Puzzle Platformer · 1984

Lode Runner, released for the Famicom on July 20, 1984, was one of the first Western computer games to make the leap to …

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Naoki Kodaka wrote Batman's soundtrack without borrowing a note from Danny Elfman — and won EGM's best movie-to-game award. S

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Batman: The Video Game

バットマン

Action Platformer · 1989

Batman: The Video Game, developed by Sunsoft and released in Japan in December 1989, is based loosely on Tim Burton's 19…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

激亀忍者伝

Action Platformer · 1989

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — released in Japan as Gekikame Ninja Den (激亀忍者伝, 'Legend of the Radical Ninja Turtles') on…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Takeshi's Challenge

たけしの挑戦状

Action Adventure · 1986

Takeshi's Challenge is one of the most infamous games in Famicom history — designed by television personality and later …

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Designed only for players who'd finished the original. Championship Lode Runner (1985, Famicom) — Hudson Soft's 50-stage expe Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Championship Lode Runner

チャンピオンシップロードランナー

Puzzle Platformer · 1985

Championship Lode Runner, released in April 1985, is the expert-only sequel to Hudson Soft's Famicom Lode Runner — a dir…

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Konami scrapped the Gradius power-up system so two players could share without fighting. Salamander (1987, Famicom) — co-op s

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Salamander

沙羅曼蛇

Scrolling Shooter · 1987

Released in Japan on April 4, 1987, Salamander is Konami's port of their 1986 arcade shooter — a companion piece to Grad…

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Double Dragon II (Famicom, 1989) finally added true 2-player co-op — and a Supreme Master mode not in the arcade. Sold 2 mill

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Double Dragon II: The Revenge

ダブルドラゴンII ザ・リベンジ

Beat-em-up · 1989

Double Dragon II: The Revenge, released for Famicom in December 1989, is widely considered the finest entry in the Doubl…

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Protagonist was a real Hudson employee whose 16-presses-per-second was officially certified. Adventure Island (Famicom, 1986)

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Adventure Island

高橋名人の冒険島

Action Platformer · 1986

Released in September 1986, Takahashi Meijin no Bouken-jima — Adventure Island in the West — was one of the defining arc…

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Name is a portmanteau of Falcom and Xanadu. Faxanadu (1987, Famicom) — Hudson's moody action RPG built on a PC-game licence,

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Faxanadu

ファクサナドゥ

Action RPG · 1987

Released in November 1987, Faxanadu is a side-scrolling action RPG set in the World Tree — a giant tree whose branching …

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Collect M-E-G-A-M-A-N hidden across eight stages to summon Beat. Mega Man 5 (1992, Famicom) — Proto Man framed as the villain

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Mega Man 5

ロックマン5 ブルースの罠！？

Action Platformer · 1992

Mega Man 5 (1992) is Capcom's fifth entry in the Famicom action series — a late-era platform game that refined the formu…

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Nintendo of America published it — not Capcom. Mega Man 6 (1993, Famicom) — last in the series, Robot Masters designed by glo

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Mega Man 6

ロックマン6 史上最大の戦い！！

Action Platformer · 1993

Mega Man 6 (1993) is the final entry in the Famicom Mega Man series and one of the last major titles released on the pla…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Life Force

沙羅曼蛇

Shoot 'em Up · 1987

Life Force (1987), known in Japan as Salamander, is Konami's Famicom adaptation of their 1986 arcade shooter — a horizon…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Image Fight

イメージファイト

Vertically scrolling shooter · 1990

Image Fight began as Irem's 1988 arcade shooter and reached the Famicom in 1990. The game is known for its demanding dif…

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Xevious creator Masanobu Endo built this. Z Gundam: Hot Scramble (Famicom, 1986) sold 400,000 copies. One contest version: on

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Mobile Suit Z Gundam: Hot Scramble

機動戦士Zガンダム ホットスクランブル

Shooter · 1986

Released by Bandai for the Famicom in 1986, Hot Scramble adapts the anime Mobile Suit Z Gundam into a combat game that m…

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First Dragon Ball RPG ever made. Daimaoh Fukkatsu (Famicom, 1988) adapts the King Piccolo arc — where Krillin and Roshi died

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Dragon Ball: Daimaoh Fukkatsu

ドラゴンボール 大魔王復活

Card-based RPG · 1988

Dragon Ball: Daimaoh Fukkatsu, whose title translates roughly to 'Revival of the Great Demon King,' is a Japan-only Fami…

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Eight heroes, one at a time. AD&D: Heroes of the Lance (Famicom, 1991) turns the Dragonlance novel into a side-scrolling dung

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance

ＡＤ＆Ｄ ヒーロー・オブ・ランス

Side-scrolling Action · 1991

A side-scrolling action game based on the Dragonlance setting of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, drawn from the novel Drago…

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Someone decided Ultraman should be a turn-based RPG and gathered every Ultra Brother into one party. Ultraman Club 3 (Famicom

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Ultraman Club 3: Matamata Shutsugeki!! Ultra Kyoudai

ウルトラマン倶楽部3 またまた出撃!! ウルトラ兄弟

RPG · 1991

A turn-based RPG in which the player commands the Ultra Brothers through random-encounter battles, in the style of the e…

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NHK's Dokuganryu drama hit 39.7% viewership — still the all-time record. Namco released this Famicom strategy game four month

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Dokuganryu Masamune

独眼竜政宗

Historical Strategy / Simulation · 1988

A historical strategy game in which the player becomes the Sengoku-era warlord Date Masamune, the one-eyed dragon of the…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Family Circuit '91

ファミリーサーキット'91

Racing · 1991

Family Circuit '91 is a top-down racing game for the Famicom, developed by Game Studio and published by Namco in 1991. A…

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TOSE made it and put their name nowhere. Dragon Ball 3: Gokuden (Famicom, 1989) — Goku's whole story in one RPG. Japan-only.

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Dragon Ball 3: Gokuden

ドラゴンボール3 悟空伝

Role-playing · 1989

Dragon Ball 3: Gokuden is a Famicom role-playing game released by Bandai in 1989 and developed by TOSE. Based on Akira T…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Namco Classic

ナムコクラシック

Sports (Golf) · 1988

Namco Classic is a golf game for the Famicom, released in Japan in 1988 and published by Namco. It offers a Round Play m…

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Taito's block-hurling puzzle — arcade 1989, Famicom same year. Flipull sold 200,000 copies in Japan. Released abroad as Plott

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Flipull: An Exciting Cube Game

フリップル

Puzzle · 1989

Flipull: An Exciting Cube Game is a tile-matching puzzle game first released by Taito as a 1989 arcade game and ported t…

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First Dragon Ball Z console game ever. Kyoshu! Saiyajin (Famicom, 1990) — top-selling stores received a non-sale gold cartrid

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Dragon Ball Z: Kyoshu! Saiyajin

ドラゴンボールZ 強襲!サイヤ人

Card-based RPG · 1990

Dragon Ball Z: Kyoshu! Saiyajin is a card-based role-playing game for the Famicom, released in Japan by Bandai in 1990. …

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Sangokushi (Romance of the Three Kingdoms)

三國志

Historical turn-based strategy · 1988

Koei's grand strategy game set in China's Three Kingdoms era, ported to the Famicom in 1988 after its original PC releas…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Daikoukai Jidai (Uncharted Waters)

大航海時代

Historical seafaring simulation / RPG · 1991

Daikoukai Jidai, known in the West as Uncharted Waters, reached the Famicom in March 1991, adapting Koei's earlier compu…

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Dragon Quest had not yet named the genre. Dragon Buster (Famicom, 1987) used levels and real-time sword combat in 1984 — Japa Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Dragon Buster

ドラゴンバスター

Action RPG · 1987

Dragon Buster is a 1987 Famicom action RPG in which the knight Clovis must rescue Princess Celes from the dragon Zambaqu…

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"Famista" became Japan's generic word for baseball games. Namco's 1986 Famicom sim used real NPB teams — altered names, real

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Pro Yakyuu Family Stadium

プロ野球ファミリースタジアム

Sports (Baseball) · 1986

Pro Yakyuu Family Stadium — universally known in Japan as Famista — is a 1986 Famicom baseball simulation that uses real…

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Cat crime boss named Nyamco — Namco's syllables reversed plus a cat sound. Mappy (1984, Famicom) puts a mouse cop inside. Jap

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Mappy

マッピー

Platform / Action · 1984

Mappy is a 1984 Famicom platform game in which the player controls Mappy, a mouse police officer who must recover stolen…

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Famicom, August 6 1985, Japan only. Sixty floors, one hidden trigger each — miss the one on floor twelve and you can climb tw ▶

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

The Tower of Druaga

ドルアーガの塔

Action RPG / Puzzle Action · 1985

Namco put The Tower of Druaga on the Famicom on August 6, 1985. The tower has sixty floors, and on each floor exactly on…

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Namco borrowed her from Norse mythology in 1986 and never officially exported her. Valkyrie no Bouken (Famicom) — Japan-only

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Valkyrie no Bouken: Toki no Kagi Densetsu

ワルキューレの冒険 時の鍵伝説

Action RPG · 1986

Valkyrie no Bouken: Toki no Kagi Densetsu is a 1986 Famicom action RPG in which the divine warrior Valkyrie must recover…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Recca

サマーカーニバル'92 烈火

shoot 'em up · 1992

Recca is a 1992 shoot 'em up for the famicom, developed by KID.…

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Crisis Force reached Japanese shelves on August 27, 1991, nine months after the Super Famicom. Konami's staff stayed on the o

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Crisis Force

クライシスフォース

shoot 'em up · 1991

Crisis Force reached Famicom shelves on August 27, 1991, nine months after the Super Famicom had arrived. Konami's other…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Holy Diver

ホーリーダイヴァー

platform game · 1989

Holy Diver is a 1989 platform game for the famicom, developed by Irem.…

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Pac-Man on the Famicom (Namco, 1984) — Toru Iwatani's 1980 maze classic, its four ghosts, and a shop owner's note from Enjoy

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Pac-Man

パックマン

maze chase game · 1984

Pac-Man is the maze chase game designed by Toru Iwatani and first released by Namco in arcades in 1980; Namco brought it…

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Galaxian — the Famicom release of 1984 by Namco. Its history, the people behind it, and what to know before you buy.

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Galaxian

ギャラクシアン

shoot 'em up · 1984

Galaxian is a Famicom game released in 1984, developed by Namco. It is a shoot 'em up.…

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Super Mario Bros. 2 for famicom (1988) — collector's guide and memories from players worldwide.

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Super Mario Bros. 2

スーパーマリオUSA

2D platform game · 1988

Super Mario Bros. 2 is a 1988 2d platform game for the famicom, developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Developme…

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Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels for famicom (1986) — collector's guide and memories from players worldwide.

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

スーパーマリオブラザーズ2

2D platform game · 1986

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels is a 1986 2d platform game for the famicom, developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analy…

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Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for famicom (1987) — collector's guide and memories from players worldwide.

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

ゼルダII リンクの冒険

action role-playing game · 1987

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is a 1987 action role-playing game for the famicom, developed by Nintendo Entertainment …

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Galaga — the Famicom release of 1985 by Namco. Its history, the people behind it, and what to know before you buy.

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Galaga

ギャラガ

shoot 'em up · 1985

On February 15, 1985, Namcot put a 1981 arcade cabinet inside a plastic cartridge. The Famicom redraws the screen more s…

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Nintendo World Cup for famicom (1990) — collector's guide and memories from players worldwide.

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Nintendo World Cup

熱血高校ドッジボール部 サッカー編

association football video game · 1990

Nintendo World Cup is a 1990 association football video game for the famicom, developed by Technōs Japan Corporation, wi…

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Irem's American football game (arcade 1983, Famicom 1985) became one of just two NES launch titles not developed by Nintendo

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

10-Yard Fight

10ヤードファイト

American football video game · 1985

10-Yard Fight is an American football game by Irem, first released in arcades in 1983 and ported to the Famicom in 1985.…

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Donkey Kong 3 (1983) — the arcade trilogy's boldest, strangest turn: a bug-spray shooter starring Stanley, not Mario. History

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Donkey Kong 3

ドンキーコング3

Shoot 'em up · 1983

Donkey Kong 3 (1983) is the third entry in Nintendo's arcade trilogy and its most radical departure — a fixed shoot 'em …

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Dig Dug — the Famicom release of 1985 by Namco. Its history, the people behind it, and what to know before you buy.

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Dig Dug

ディグダグ

maze video game · 1985

Dig Dug is a Famicom game released in 1985, developed by Namco. It is a maze video game.…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Clu Clu Land

クルクルランド

puzzle video game · 1984

There are two games with this name, and they are not the same game. This cartridge holds the 1984 one: no save, no boss,…

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Donkey Kong Jr. (Famicom, 1983) flipped the story: Mario became the villain, and you climbed to save Donkey Kong. One of thre

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Donkey Kong Jr.

ドンキーコングJR.

Platform · 1983

Released in 1982 in arcades and ported to the Famicom in 1983 as a launch title, Donkey Kong Jr. reverses the roles of i…

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Donkey Kong (1983) was one of three Famicom launch titles. Miyamoto's first game, born from one question: what would you do i

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Donkey Kong

ドンキーコング

Action Platformer · 1983

Donkey Kong (1983) was one of the three launch titles for the Famicom in Japan, bringing Shigeru Miyamoto's arcade break…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Mario Bros.

マリオブラザーズ

Platform · 1983

Released on Famicom in September 1983, Mario Bros. was the arcade game brought home — a fixed-screen platform game where…

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Getsu Fūma Den (1987, Famicom) brought ukiyo-e woodblock aesthetics to the screen. Konami's Japan-exclusive journey through H

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Getsu Fūma Den

月風魔伝

Action Role-Playing · 1987

Released on July 7, 1987 exclusively for the Famicom in Japan, Getsu Fūma Den is an action role-playing game that blends…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

TwinBee

ツインビー

Shoot 'Em Up · 1986

Released for Famicom in 1986, TwinBee was Konami's vertical-scrolling shooter that chose cartoon anthropomorphic spacecr…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Dragon Quest I-IV Set (Famicom)

ドラゴンクエストI〜IV セット（ファミコン）

RPG Collection · 1986

The complete first chapter of Dragon Quest on Famicom — I through IV, the games that brought console RPGs to Japanese ho…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Gradius II: Gofer no Yabou

グラディウスII GOFERの野望

Shoot 'em up · 1988

Gradius II for the Famicom (December 1988) is Konami's port of the 1988 arcade shooter, made possible by the VRC4 custom…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Final Fantasy I, II, III — Famicom Trilogy Set

ファイナルファンタジーI・II・III — ファミコン三部作セット

Role-Playing Game · 1987

The first three Final Fantasy games for Famicom (1987-1990) form a trilogy that tells two stories: the story of a fledgl…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Super Mario USA

スーパーマリオUSA

Platformer · 1992

Released in Japan on September 14, 1992, Super Mario USA brought the North American Super Mario Bros. 2 back to its home…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation

ドラゴンクエストIII そして伝説へ…

Role-Playing Game · 1988

Released on Wednesday, February 10, 1988, Dragon Quest III became a cultural phenomenon in Japan that no game before or …

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Ninja-kun: Majou no Bouken

忍者くん 魔城の冒険

Platform · 1985

Released for Famicom in 1985, Ninja-kun: Majou no Bouken is a vertically scrolling platform game where players climb upw…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2

レインボーアイランド

Action Platformer · 1988

Released in 1988 for the Famicom, Rainbow Islands is the sequel to Taito's Bubble Bobble. Designer Fukio Mitsuji turned …

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Konami Wai Wai World

コナミワイワイワールド

Platformer · 1988

Released in Japan on January 14, 1988, Konami Wai Wai World is a crossover platformer that brought together six heroes f…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord

ウィザードリィ 狂王の試練場

Role-Playing Game · 1987

Released for the Famicom on December 22, 1987, Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord was the Japanese port of th…

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