Friday, November 04, 2011

Reason #400 I could be considered an 'eccentric' (aka bat-sh*t crazy) gamer

If I could find an FM Towns Marty system at a reasonable price--most of the ones I've seen on eBay go for around $899--I'd buy one quicker than you can say "are you nuts?"

Even nuttier: I'm only interested in buying three games alongside said system at this point--Bubble Bobble, The New Zealand Story and Rainbow Islands.


That's not where the nuttiness ends, though. The trio of games I just mentioned are, with a few exceptions, simple ports of the arcade originals. Also, I can already play all three of them on my PS2 thanks to the copy of Taito Legends that I picked up a few years ago.

Still, I can't help but want both an FM Towns Marty and the above-mentioned titles. Here's hoping I never find one cheap enough to make this nutty dream come true.

See also: Other reasons I could be considered an 'eccentric' (aka bat-sh*t crazy) gamer

16 comments:

Adam said...

Wow I can't believe the FM Towns Marty catches such a high price

Bryan Ochalla said...

Yeah, it's kind of crazy, isn't it? Maybe they were rare? I should ask Sean from the Famicomblog what they go for in Japan. Maybe they're a lot cheaper there? I kind of doubt it, though...

Viewtiful_Justin said...

That's the most strangely named system I've ever seen. "Marty"? Is the upgraded version called "Steve" or "Martha" or something?

Bryan Ochalla said...

Ha! Yes, it's a pretty odd name, Justin, I'll give you that. The system isn't all that attractive either. Really, I should just stick to the PS2 versions of these games -- or play the FM Towns versions via emulation.

That would be another issue if I somehow found a cheap FM Towns Marty, by the way: I've rarely if ever seen some of these games up for sale on eBay. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen Bubble Bobble or Rainbow Islands.

Oh, well, my wallet and husband will be very happy if that continues to be the case :)

Marcus said...

I love the FM Towns Marty but really it's mostly due to the name. That, alongside Fairchild Channel F are some of my favorite oddly named consoles. I'm sure to be forgetting some though.

But really, the reason I'm posting is because I saw one of these bad boys a few years ago at a convention. Unfortunately the con didn't happen this year but I bet it will in 2012 and if I see it again it's totally going to be MINE. I had no clue that the systems fetch a high price!

Bryan Ochalla said...

Oh, I love the name of your other favorite oddly named console, Marcus: The Fairchild Channel F. Let me guess, it's British or European in origin?

As for buying an FM Towns Marty for yourself (or to resell), assuming you can find one (at a convention or otherwise) on the cheap: I say go for it!

Granted, I'm not sure those $899 systems sell quickly (if at all), but that's the general price I see for the systems on eBay these days.

Marcus said...

It may be a bit of a shock but the Channel F was an American thing! They initially called it Video Entertainment System but that was too close to Atari VCS so they decided "Channel F" was better. What's fun is that each game cartridge for it was a "Channel" like: Channel 1, Channel 2, etc.

Oh you know I'll go for it! I actually missed out on a lot of great bargains just because I ran out of money. Like, a Genesis 3 for $20 and a complete Channel F with games! Ah well, maybe next time....

Bryan Ochalla said...

Interesting! The name really sounds British to me, for some reason. Also, I like the idea that each game was a "channel." Anyway, hope you find one of these at some point -- and it isn't $899!

Viewtiful_Justin said...

Fairchild Channel F?! I'm just...sort of astounded that these names ever made it out of the gates.

Bryan Ochalla said...

In the company's defense, Justin, I think the company name was Fairchild -- although someone correct me if I'm wrong, OK? Even if that's the case, though, I agree with you. Yikes!

Sean said...

Wow, I had never heard of this system until reading this post right now. I had to look it up on Wikipedia. 899$ is insane, but I have never seen any of these consoles at shops here so they must be rare! Maybe I`ll find one in a junk pile, if so I`ll sell it to you for way less than that;)

Bryan Ochalla said...

Hey there, Sean! Yeah, I would guess they were somewhat rare, although I obviously don't know for sure. I think the original PC version (tower form factor) may have been more mainstream?

Anyway, I really can't imagine the folks selling these for $899 are selling them quickly, if at all. They're probably just putting those auctions out there in the hopes that some sucker (like me) will buy one at that price. Thankfully I don't have $899 to drop on games. Even if I did, I wouldn't blow it on a single system!

As for selling me one for less than $899: Ha! I will be curious to see if you come across one now that you know what they are and what they look like, though...

RetroKingSimon said...

It's a desirable console for sure, and the three games you mention are three of my all-time favourites! While I think of it, did you ever play NZS on the MegaDrive? It had completely different levels :)

Bryan Ochalla said...

Hey there, Simon! Yes, I have played NZS on the Mega Drive. I can see why fans were a bit pissed about the altered levels, but I kind of like it. I mean, if I want the arcade levels, I can always play the arcade or PC Engine versions, right?

RetroKingSimon said...

Yes, I had great Speccy and Master System versions to play the arcade levels, the MD one was like a semi-sequel. How could NZS fans complain about some new levels to play?! :)

Bryan Ochalla said...

Well, maybe they complained mostly during the actual 16-bit era -- kind of like how gamers complain today if the 360 version of a game is different from the PS3 version. As in, the folks who owned MDs and not PC Engines, etc., wanted the arcade game/version, not some strangely altered one. I'm just guessing, though...