Balloon Fight: Iwata Edition

[Nz17]

As featured in Nintendo Force magazine issue #17, there is a ROM hacked version of Balloon Fight called "Balloon Fight: Iwata Edition" which features Mr. Iwata from Nintendo instead of the usual balloon guy. This was done as a tribute to Mr. Iwata around the time of his passing. Well, the guy who made the alteration, John Riggs (YouTube channel link), is selling physical reproductions of it for NES. The proceeds from their sales go to the Extra Life charity which raises money for hospitals that are a part of the Children's Miracle Network. If you want a copy of the repro, I am told you can do so via [ https://www.etsy.com/shop/RiggdGames ] for $40.

Want just the IPS file to patch a Japanese or American Balloon Fight ROM? You can find the patch at [ http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=...67787778898406 ].

Please understand.

[Koa Zo]

As featured in Nintendo Force magazine issue #17, there is a ROM hacked version of Balloon Fight called "Balloon Fight: Iwata Edition" which features Mr. Iwata from Nintendo instead of the usual balloon guy. This was done as a tribute to Mr. Iwata around the time of his passing.

What a wild coincidence, I just watched the Game Center CX episode with Iwata playing Balloon Fight. I'd never seen that before, and I'd also forgotten he had passed away. What a cool guy.

[Sailorneorune]

I am using the Iwata Edition patch as soon as I have a Retron 5 and Famicom version of Balloon Fight.

Though I'm not particularly good at it, Balloon Fight has become one of my comfort food games.

That Game Center CX episode tugs on the heartstrings so hard. Happy Iwata (party time with the Chief), sad Iwata ("it would inconvenience a lot of people"), and slightly embarrassed Iwata (down after 14 balloons) all in 15 awesome minutes. It's too bad we only got a letter for the "revenge" episode.

Iwata games have had the "comfort food" effect on me since my childhood (starting with Rollerball on the NES). I've started going after HAL Laboratory games for my collection, but good gravy are some of them expensive. I'm just hoping the interweb store that sold me Uchuukeibitai SDF for a somewhat sane price stops screwing around and gives me a shipping confirmation.

/Metal Slader Glory is waaaaaaay out of my price range. Please understand.

[Tanooki]

I'm probably going to be too lazy to patch it, but I also like leaving my games alone unless there are really true issues (like the CV2 retranslation+map injection MMC1 hack/patch.) I have to agree with the above, comfort food hits it. Balloon Fight was after the Christmas set of 2 pack in on the 1985 deluxe set along with SMB1 and Hogan's Alley my next pair of games to my memory were Balloon Fight, and Kung Fu, fairly certain it was BF first. I've been fairly good at it over the years, could roll dozens of screens before I'd get creamed or lose focus and get creamed (or flip it off.) It's a fun game, relaxing more or less, but has some tension once the sparks really start to fly.

Uchuukeibitai I keep forgetting to pick up, seen enough to know it's a solid game but I also don't much like Famicom games costing like $50 either though I've seen it go for a bit less whenever I'm not looking (grr.) Kind of a side note, if you can handle Hello Kitty, but on Famicom Hello KItty World(think that's it) is actually a conversion of Balloon Fight 2 aka Balloon Kid from the Gameboy. Sprite size for size/ object for object, just kitty'd up is all and for the differing size of space from GB to NES they just used filler blocks to keep the aspect ratio and that one is cheap.

[Sailorneorune]

I've got vanilla Balloon Fight on 2 other consoles courtesy of the Virtual Console, and Balloon Kid on GB cart. Based on the how-to guides I've read/seen so far, it's possible to choose whether to play something patched or unpatched.

I appreciate the info on Hello Kitty World. May pick that up sometime.

As for Uchuukeibitai... Akiba-Games (the store I may or may not be getting mine from) may get it in stock again, but I can't recommend them at this point because of their week+ of holding my payment without so much as a "how do you do?". They have an eBay presence with good feedback, so there may be hope for them yet. Another few days of nothing though, and I may have to get my 10,000-mile-long stick.

Back on topic (sort of), looking forward to taking my Retron 5 on a test drive with Balloon Fight. It only seems appropriate since it was also one of the "test drive" games for Virtual Console (one of Mr. Iwata's best ideas to hit this side of the Pacific).

[Tanooki]

I usually deal with ryoplanshop from overseas or yamatoku classic as they've never treated me bad and they tend to price nicely. US based, there's pal52, shisochou, and retro_saikou I've got many of my famicom games from but they can be hit and miss on being greedy pricks taking advantage of impatient americans or just overpriced looking for a chump but at times they are on par with the JP price shipped so it's a time saver.

[celerystalker]

I usually deal with ryoplanshop from overseas or yamatoku classic as they've never treated me bad and they tend to price nicely. US based, there's pal52, shisochou, and retro_saikou I've got many of my famicom games from but they can be hit and miss on being greedy pricks taking advantage of impatient americans or just overpriced looking for a chump but at times they are on par with the JP price shipped so it's a time saver.

I'll second all of those sellers. I've bought from all of them and always gotten exactly what I expected.

[Koa Zo]

I'll second all of those sellers. I've bought from all of them and always gotten exactly what I expected.

Sorry to stay off topic.
Yamatoku seems to be under new management since the end of 2015 or earlier. Their description of items isn't nearly as careful and accurate as it once was. Their communication is abysmal now. And they don't offer discounts for combined shipping like they always had. I recently got charged $50 for SAL shipping for a handful of games - no responses to my numerous requests for a new invoice nor an explanation. Their base economy shipping is now $14 for just one game.
...it was good while it lasted.

[Sailorneorune]

Sorry to stay off topic.
Yamatoku seems to be under new management since the end of 2015 or earlier. Their description of items isn't nearly as careful and accurate as it once was. Their communication is abysmal now. And they don't offer discounts for combined shipping like they always had. I recently got charged $50 for SAL shipping for a handful of games - no responses to my numerous requests for a new invoice nor an explanation. Their base economy shipping is now $14 for just one game.
...it was good while it lasted.

Yeah, I've seen some of their listings, like a CIB SFC Hyperzone (another HAL game I've got my eye on), and... yeesh. There's a seller in California I'm probably going to buy from instead ($4 shipping is better than $14). pal52 has a 20% off 3+ items special going on, so I plan on getting a few cheapie FC games from him (including Balloon Fight). I'll have to check out retro_saikou's listings more. I am watching a Game Center CX DVD set he has up, but I'm not sure I want to spend $40 for 1 big episode of GCCX + 2-3 small ones. (Ah, Japanese DVD market - I hate you so much.)

There's so muchto wade through as a fan of classic games nowadays... In fact, I'm going for the Japanese Balloon Fight because people are asking $30 for the US version, cart-only! There's also some jerk asking $500 for a CIB Balloon Fight (Hong Kong licensed version) and using Mr. Iwata's name as part of their listing. Like they think someone is actually going to buy it if they draw attention to that. People who have played Balloon Fight are going to get it because it's a great game, not just because of Mr. Iwata (though he had a lot to do with Balloon Fight being a great game.) I'm grateful the stupid never got quite to Moonwalker levels, but come on...

2/1/16 EDIT: Akiba-Games produced an email that they attempted to send me, but was eaten by my email provider as a hearty Japanese breakfast. Uchuukeibitai was "sold" in the timeframe between updates they make to their shop page. So my search for Iwata games is over because I'm not paying $50 for a game I SHOULD HAVE HAD FOR $30!

[Sailorneorune]

Sorry for the double post, but look what my Retron 5 can do!