NES games by Sachen? Anyone know anything about this?

[orrimarrko]

Hi there,

First time at the forum (which has been extremely informational - keep up the good work!) - found a link here to www.digitpress.com, where I found a lot more information. I have had the Etler Rarity list for years now, but wanted to compare that list to the NES list at the Master List Database.

One game manufacturer that I had never heard of, Sachen, was listed all over the place. I was wondering if anyone had any information about them, because after collecting NES games for 4 years, this is the first I had heard of them.

Are these games (obviously unlicensed) distributed in the US? I can't seem to find any record about any of their games. Please help.

Thanks in advance.

[hades]

I have yet to see any Sachen games either. Word is though that a few of their titles went through US distribution ... that's why they're listed in the Digital Press listings.

I hope someone could clear up some information on it too....

[hades]

Whoops, forgot to post this in the first message.

Check out the thread at http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3406

[ventrra]

Sachen is a rather mysterious case, actually. The information we've been getting is rather conflicting and unclear. Suffice it to say, many of their titles were, at the least, picked up by unlicenced companies here in the US such as Color Dreams and American Video.
To see more about the titles they released from the company itself, try the following link:
http://www.sachen.com.tw/index1.php

[orrimarrko]

Thanks for these replies - at least I could follow a link to see what a picture of a cart looks like, and read what others have had to say in a previous post. :D

I would have to say (not that anyone would necessarily care about me two-cents, but since this is a forum - what the hell) that these carts should be recognized in the DP (or any other) guide. However, I feel that they would be more appropriately categorized in a "Non-US" or "International" Releases section.

As a completist, it would be hard to ignore games like this - but only if you wanted to collect every single crappy game that was made for the NES (Japanese, PAL, bootlegs, etc.) I realize that you should collect only what you want to and there are no official rules that you have to follow. However, by putting the Sachen games in an official US listing implies that you would need to get them in order to have a complete set.

I think that just because they were found in the US, or sold by a retailer of video games, doesn't necessarily mean they were US Releases (as depicted in the DP guide.) I can find any number of International games in Texas, but that doesn't mean that they were released here (obviously).

Not a knock on the guide - just an opinion. Anyway, thanks again, and any other comments or info are appreciated.

[TheRedEye]

Alright, here we go again. If you don't want to count Sachen games as U.S. releases, you can't count Panesian either. They were distributed by the exact same methods at the exact same time by very, very similar companies. Hell, Hacker International (the company behind "Panesian") and Sachen have actually MADE games together (Pyramid, Mahjang Companion), they're practically brother and sister.

The problem here is that while we do know that Sachen games were distributed in the United States (I can even show you their U.S. patent if you want), we don't know exactly which ones. They made 64 different NES cartridges between 1989 and 1994 (which, by the way, is more than like, Konami or Capcom), which were distributed to all parts of the world. The Netherlands and Australia seem to be the most common areas, but we've also gotten a few in the United States (Olympic IQ and Millionaire). Because of the way they were made, it's impossible to classify them as JUST a United States release or JUST a non-U.S. release. They were simply made, printed, and sold wherever someone wanted them. So rather than deny that any of them are "U.S. games," or attempt to split them up or anything, they're all just thrown into the U.S. section.

I agree with what you're saying...just collect what you want to collect. If you don't think Sachen games are worth collecting, then ignore them. If they're that hard to ignore in the U.S. section, well...just wait for the next guide. I'm moving them, due to popular demand.

And if you actually do want more info on Sachen, I've started working on a fairly massive website. Check out a preview of Jovial Race here (http://sachen.theredeye.net/TC-001). If there's anything at all you want to know, ask away. I'm always happy to talk about this company.

I don't actually recommend collecting Sachen, if your only interest is getting a complete set of stuff made in the United States (booooring). If you're like me, though, and you're actually interested in NES history in its entirety, and want to see what a Taiwanese programmer was capable of in the NES' heyday (in comparison to Japanese, European, or American), these things are perfect. They've got their own style over there, and with a library as diverse as Sachen's, you get a good feel for it.

[ventrra]

And if you actually do want more info on Sachen, I've started working on a fairly massive website. Check out a preview of Jovial Race here. If there's anything at all you want to know, ask away. I'm always happy to talk about this company.
Actually, the entire Red-Eye website is filled with interesting info. The Sachen game Little Red Hood is there as well, although the game is NOT a good example of Sachen at it's best :/ .

Another example of Sachen's NOT best, I think, would be Magical Mathematics. I did quite well in school mathematically, but this "game" has to be seen to be believed. :/

@TheRedEye: the Sachen cart that I have seem to be Famicom boards with converters soldered to them and are quite heavy. Are ALL of them like that?

[TheRedEye]

Yeah, that's true, I do have more info elsewhere. But I don't like to show it off, because a lot of it was written well before I actually KNEW anything about Sachen. Poker III - 5 in 1 (http://www.theredeye.net/KingOfCasino/index.html) still seems to be a popular page.

The thing with Sachen is that they pretty much throw carts together using anything they can get their hands on. I'm sure you could find upwards of ten different "variations" of boards for one game. Hell, I have ROM dumps of Jovial Race running on three separate, distinct board types ("mappers"). That means the Sachen programmers had to re-program the game three times just to get it working on whatever hardware they had lying around!

So in short, yes. You're going to find a lot of Famicom boards soldered to converters. But are they all like that? No. Luck of the draw.

[ventrra]

So in short, yes. You're going to find a lot of Famicom boards soldered to converters. But are they all like that? No. Luck of the draw.
I had wondered about that. So are there ones that are NES type connections without the connectors? Or did they find another way around it?

the Sachen cart that I have seem to be Famicom boards with converters soldered to them and are quite heavy.
That should have been plural carts, not a single cart. I actually have Magical Mathematics as a single and Challenge of the Dragon/Rock Ball/Popo Team as a 3 in 1. Both carts made for the US NES connectors and both seem to have those famicom/NES connectors soldered to them.

*The amusing thing about the cartsw is the warning label on the back. The last item is "Do not attempt to Disassemble". Ooops. Too late. I already did! :D


If there's anything at all you want to know, ask away. I'm always happy to talk about this company.
The bad part is, I'm not really sure what questions to ask. The way I seem to get questions is by either seeing what it says on your site and wondering about it or buying the games and wondering about them.

[TheRedEye]

So in short, yes. You're going to find a lot of Famicom boards soldered to converters. But are they all like that? No. Luck of the draw.
I had wondered about that. So are there ones that are NES type connections without the connectors? Or did they find another way around it?

Yep. I have several.



the Sachen cart that I have seem to be Famicom boards with converters soldered to them and are quite heavy.
That should have been plural carts, not a single cart. I actually have Magical Mathematics as a single and Challenge of the Dragon/Rock Ball/Popo Team as a 3 in 1. Both carts made for the US NES connectors and both seem to have those famicom/NES connectors soldered to them.

Actually, all of the multicarts are going to be Famicom boards with adapters.



If there's anything at all you want to know, ask away. I'm always happy to talk about this company.
The bad part is, I'm not really sure what questions to ask. The way I seem to get questions is by either seeing what it says on your site and wondering about it or buying the games and wondering about them.[/quote]

Okeydoke, anytime.

[sniperCCJVQ]

The whole Sachen US affair is like to know who shoot Kennedy.

[TheRedEye]

By the by, if anyone wants an instant Sachen collection, I'm auctioning off a nearly complete set (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=11028&item=1948096928).